


The Butterfly Effect

by BigDanRog



Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 68,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigDanRog/pseuds/BigDanRog
Summary: Elsa leaves the loothouse before Subaru and Emilia arrive, and Emilia's sigil is lost.  Without her sigil, events play out quite differently.SPOILERS ALL NOVELS- ANIME-ONLIES BEWARE
Relationships: Emilia/Natsuki Subaru
Comments: 247
Kudos: 321





	1. A Chance Encounter

Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter

Natsuki Subaru was, to say the least, having a very strange day. Having walked to a convenience store and purchased a few things to fuel his NEET gaming habits, he'd rubbed his tired eyes. Upon opening them he suddenly found himself standing in the middle of a medieval city. It was complete with demi-humans, swordsmen, dragon-drawn wagons, all kinds of things you'd find in a typical RPG.

After being attacked by hoodlums in an alley, he was saved by a white-maned beauty. This was when he found out that this strange world he'd been... transported to? Summoned to? Well, this strange world contained magic. He knew this because it was what the girl used to dispatch the thugs. She had used Ice Magic, to be specific, and hurled spheres of ice at the hoodlums to scare them off. After that, she used healing magic to get Subaru back into decent shape after the attack. She even had a flying cat that she referred to as a spirit, which can also cast magic.

It turned out that she's had something precious stolen from her; some sort of insignia. She'd described it as a small triangular thing with a red jewel in the middle of it. One good turn deserves another, so Subaru had decided to help her find the thief that had taken it. After searching much of the city for an afternoon he'd learned her name is Satella, and the cat's name is Puck.

He'd also learned something else very interesting about her.

She is a half-elf.

_This IS just like an RPG!_ Subaru thought to himself.

Eventually, they made their way to the city slums, where most local thieves would live. This is when he found out the cat, Puck, goes to sleep at dusk in a jewel fastened to the front of Emilia’s fancy outfit. After that, he watched her draw in a bunch of blue firefly-looking things that she described as spirits, which were able to point them in the right direction. 

They'd gotten wind that the thief might have taken her insignia to a tavern, or “loothouse” as the person who'd pointed them in this direction had called it. They now stood in front of this loothouse, and Subaru had no idea what to expect inside. It had gotten dark outside, and the appearance of the front of the building was ominous.

“I'll go in first.” He turned to her and requested, “You stay outside and keep watch. I won't be back too late, but you can have dinner without me.”

“Don't say dumb things like that.” The violet eyes of the beautiful girl shone even in the dark as she followed up with a stern, “Be careful.”

He felt his breath slightly catch in his throat.

 _She really is gorgeous,_ he thought to himself before turning toward the door.

“Sure, sure.” Subaru brushed aside her concern. “Don't come in until I say it's alright, Satella.”

He turned back to find her staring at him strangely.

“What?”

“N-nothing, nevermind,” she said. “If you can get my insignia back I'll apologize.” She'd been expressing up to this point some doubts in his abilities. This was difficult for a man like Subaru to stomach!

Slowly pushing the door open and holding a lamp in his right hand, Subaru entered the tavern.

“Excuse me...” He muttered the traditional greeting when entering another's home. Holding the lantern high, he pointed it around the room; it was dark with no illumination other than his small source of light. He could see odds and ends stacked around the interior such as boxes and a suit of plate armor.

“Now, am I walking into a demon nest or a snake pit? In a fantasy world, either one is plausible.” The light from the lantern passed by a creepy doll, which he found himself doing a double-take at.

“This is all stolen loot?” He continued to look around the loothouse, nerves on high alert considering how dark it was. “Why isn't there anyone here? A place that handles stolen goods can only be so careless.”

He took a few steps forward and stepped into a puddle. Stopping to see what it is, he looked down and pointed his lantern to where his right foot had just landed.

What met his gaze was a puddle of viscous scarlet.

Blood.

Next to the puddle lay a large severed arm.

Starting to hyperventilate, Subaru pointed the lamp forward to find the source of the arm: a huge brown-skinned man. Large quantities of blood had come from the stump where his arm had been, as well as a large gaping wound on the front of his throat.

Terrified, Subaru spun around, shining the light in all directions.

_Whoever did this could still be here,_ he thought. Turning on his heels and sprinting back toward the door, he grabbed the handle and tore it open, running outside.

“Satella, we have to get out of here! We need to find a guard or something!” He yelled as he ran to her.

“What? Why? What's wrong? Did you find the insignia?” As she caught sight of his state, a concerned look came to her face.

“No! There's a dead body in there! A person's been murdered!” His eyes were wide and terrified, his breathing erratic.

Satella gasped, placing both hands over her mouth as her eyes went wide from shock.

“Come on, we gotta find help!” Subaru said as he grabbed her hand and began running in the direction they came from. For several minutes they ran together through the slums.

“There!” Emilia pointed. “That red-haired man is wearing a knight's uniform! Let's go tell him what you found!”

***********************************************************************************

Reinhard Van Astrea had a rare day off from his knightly duties, but in the spirit of vigilance, he still wore his uniform. He was enjoying a relaxing stroll through one of the parts of the city he rarely came to, the slums. Sure, it was a little dirty here, and the air smelled slightly foul, but it was nice to get a different outlook every once in a while.

He couldn't help but muse that he would lose perspective if he only saw the well-to-do parts of the city.

Within his field of vision, two young people appear. A black-haired boy wearing a strange black and yellow outfit and odd footwear, and a silver-haired young girl in elaborate white and purple robes. They were running toward him with the boy pulling the girl along by her hand.

“Sir Knight!” the young girl yelled as they pulled up in front of him. “Something terrible has happened!”

“Oh?” Reinhard queried.

_Evenings in the slums are never boring,_ the Sword Saint thought to himself.

“There's been a murder!” The boy spat this out between gasping breaths.

His face turning from bemused to serious almost instantly, Reinhard put his hand on the bent-over gasping boy's shoulder.“Where?” he asked. “Take me to where it happened.”

***********************************************************************************

_Several hours later,_ the boy and girl sat out front of the loothouse, waiting for the knights to wrap up their investigation. Reinhard had called on a few others of his profession to assist with the matter of the murders that had occurred inside. 

Murders, plural. Apparently, in addition to the gigantic man that Subaru had found, there was a young blonde girl who was found dead inside as well.

“The description Reinhard gave us sounds like the girl that stole my sigil,” the girl said, upset. She wasn't happy with the girl for stealing her precious sigil, but she couldn't abide by the possibility that it was the sigil that had gotten these two people brutally killed.

_She's really kind,_ Subaru thought to himself. He didn't know if he would have the same empathy for someone who had stolen from him.

“So, Sat...er, Emilia...” he said.

_That's right. It's Emilia, not Satella,_ he thought.

When they arrived at the loothouse with Reinhard in tow, he had addressed her as Satella, then found himself dumbfounded when Reinhard reached for his sword and took a fighting stance.

“Wait! This is a misunderstanding!” Emilia had said. “I gave him a fake name in hopes that he would get scared and run away! I knew finding my sigil could be dangerous!”

At this, Reinhard studied her closely, then after a few seconds, he seemed to relax.

“My Diving Protection of Wind Reading tells me you are not lying.” He said, “Before I begin investigating, what is this sigil you speak of, and how is it related?”

“I'm a candidate in the Royal Selection and the sigil is my proof of candidacy.” Emilia looked down and her shoulders dropped when she said this.

Reinhard's eyes widened once again, “I see,” he murmured. “This is not a small matter.”

This was when he had called for assistance from the other knights. When they arrived, he'd asked Emilia and Subaru to wait outside. Over a few hours they sat outside and nervously chatted. A few times the Sword Saint had come out of the loothouse to ask them questions. One of the first was their names. This is how Subaru had learned that the pretty girl's name was Emilia, just Emilia.

“So, Emilia,” he said, turning to look at her “What's this Royal Selection thing?”

“This country's ruler has gone into hiding, and a new one has to be selected from among a few candidates who qualify. It turns out I'm one of those qualified people, and my sigil was proof of that. It was so important to get it back, but that might be impossible now.”

She wore sad eyes and a small frown. He felt bad for her, but he didn't feel like he knew her well enough to be able to comfort her. Deciding to change the subject, he resolved to prod a little more. Perhaps another topic might cheer her up a little.

“Are you from this city?”

“No, currently I live in a mansion about half a day from here. It's the home of my sponsor in the selection: a nobleman named Roswaal Mathers. He's going to be soooo mad when he hears how badly I messed up!”

Subaru frowned. Now he'd made her even sadder. As he was about to think of another way to cheer her up, Reinhard and the other knights came out of the loothouse.

“We've wrapped up our investigation. This appears to be the work of a killer known as the Guthunter. You two are incredibly lucky that she wasn't here when you arrived.”

Emilia and Subaru both go wide-eyed. This didn't sound like the kind of person they would want to cross paths with.

“I need to ask both of you to come with us to the main guard station in order to fill out your statements of the events that have taken place here. We have people coming to take care of the victims' bodies, so there's no need to worry about that. This is extra important since it involves a Selection Candidate and her sigil.” Reinhard had a serious, yet sympathetic look on his face. He'd already asked for a lot of their time, and undoubtedly this had been a bad day for both the boy and the girl.

Just as he had said this, a dragon-drawn carriage had pulled up, with a knight as the driver. Reinhard indicated that Emilia and Subaru should get in, and after they did he followed and sat across from them.

**********************************************************************************

The ride to the main guards' station hadn't taken long. As they walked up to the large building made of stone bricks, Reinhard opened the door and stepped aside. He used his free hand to beckon them inside. They walked up to a desk with a city guard sitting behind it, who Reinhard addressed.

“I need a sworn statement form for each of these two.” The guard complied swiftly and handed him two pieces of paper along with two quill pens. They were then led to a small room with a medium-sized table and a few wooden chairs. Subaru sat down on the far side of the table. As he scratched his head thinking back to the events that lead them here, Emilia seemed to hesitate in choosing where to sit.

“I won't bite,” he joked, pointing at the chair next to him. Emilia looked at it for a second, looked at him, and then sat down next to him. He went back to thinking about the beginning of all this, but Emilia went straight to writing. He looked over and noticed that she was marking the paper with a series of strange, blocky glyphs.

“What are those marks?” He leaned over toward her and looked at her form.

“I-Glyph, mostly.” She glanced at him, then her eyes went wide.

“Wait, you don't know how to read?”

“I do!” He put his hands out, taken aback. “But it looks like your writing system is completely different from my home country's.”

“You're not from Lugunica? Where are you from? How long have you been here?” Her amethyst eyes had a twinkle of interest in them.

“My home is an island nation to the far east. You wouldn't have heard of it.”

Her brows furrowed. “Laginica is the most Eastern country in the world.” She went from looking confused to skeptical.

“Or so you think. I told you, you wouldn't have heard of it. And today is my first day in this country.”

“THIS is your first day here!?” Now she looked concerned, head rocking back and eyes going even wider.

“Yeah. I'm also broke with nowhere to stay. This bag of stuff and the clothes I'm wearing are everything I own.”

NOW she looked like she was about ready to cry. Truly this was a kind girl. He felt a little bad for dumping his desperate situation onto her, but she had asked. She shifted back in her chair and put her finger to her chin, thinking. After a few seconds, she nodded with a “hmm.”

“Well, first let's write out our statements. It seems I will have to write yours since you can't write our language. It's so strange that you can speak it though.” She grabbed her pen and began scribbling more glyphs.

“I thought so, too. Do I have an accent or anything?” He wondered if he sounded funny.

“Nope, no accent at all.” She gave him a small smile and looked back down, continuing to write.

_That smile is a million volts,_ he thought to himself.

**********************************************************************************

Eventually, Reinhard reappeared to retrieve their statements, both written out by Emilia. She had blushed when he had said that he wanted to help her find her sigil because she seemed like a really good person, as he had recounted the events of the day to her.

After reading both of them, Reinhard nodded in approval. He showed them out of the room.

“Thank you for your cooperation on this matter. It's not every day we have to deal with such a grisly incident, especially one involving someone as important as you, Emilia-sama.”

_Sama, huh?_

Subaru thought to himself,  _She really must be an important person if a guy like this is calling her sama._

Just as they emerged from the back rooms, into the large room at the front of the building, he heard those same words again, only yelled out by a feminine voice.

“Emilia-sama!!!”

The knight, the half-elf, and the boy snapped their heads around to see the origin of those words.

Standing in front of the guard desk was a pretty pink-haired girl in a maid outfit.

_This is my first attempt at narrative writing outside of a class, so I hope you enjoyed it so far. I don't have a lot else to say, other than please look forward to more! I'll do my best between this and work and classes._


	2. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the sigil has disappeared, Subaru and Emilia must decide what to do moving forward.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know You

“Emilia-sama! Where have you been!?” the pink-haired girl ran up to Emilia, “I've been looking for you for hours!”

“Sorry Ram, I wasn't careful and lost sight of you while I was exploring,” Emilia cast her glare down to the floor and looked like a child confessing her sins, “while we were separated my sigil was stolen by a young thief girl.”

Ram's mouth dropped open as she absorbed this information.

“Were you able to recover it?” She looked at Emilia hesitantly.

“No.” Emilia continued to stare at the floor.

Subaru's head had been turning back and forth as he listened to this exchange. He wanted to help Emilia, perhaps taking over the conversation would allow her to lift her head and gather herself.

 _I hate seeing her feel so ashamed,_ he thought before proceeding.

“Ram, was it?”

The pink-haired maid snapped her head toward him, regarding him with a look of distrust.

“And who might you be?” Her eyes were staring daggers at him.

“Ah, my name is Natsuki Subaru. I ran across Emilia here shortly after her sigil was taken and tried to help her get it back.”

The look on the maid's face softened a bit. She turned toward him and offered a small bow.

“Thank you for trying to help Emilia-sama. Her candidacy in the Royal Selection is important to my employer, Margrave Mathers.” She ended the bow and began to turn back towards Emilia.

“There's more,” Subaru grabbed her attention again, “we were able to find the place where the sigil had been taken. There were two murdered people there, one of them was the thief.”

Ram's eyes shot open wide, and she turned to Emilia who was nodding.

“It was terrible.”

 _She looks even more depressed than before,_ he thought with a frown.

Reinhard chose this as the right time to interrupt.

“Miss Ram, these two have been through a lot today, I'm sure they're both very tired.”

 _Dude, you have no idea,_ Subaru averted his eyes, remembering all of the events of this strange day.

Reinhard continued, “Please take Emilia-sama to an inn so she can get some rest. It's far too late in the evening to travel back to the Margrave's domain.”

“Yes, Reinhard-sama.” Ram bowed to him and turned to Emilia, “this way Emilia-sama. Let's get you to the carriage.”

Subaru was unsure what he should do if this was when he would part with Emilia. He looked toward Reinhard, then back toward Emilia, watching her make her way out of the front entrance of the guard station.

 _Well, I guess it was interesting while it lasted,_ he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Emilia stopped and turned back toward him.

“Well, aren't you coming?” The look on her face was one of pure innocence.

“Huh?” Subaru was taken aback by her question.

“You said this was your first day in this country, you're homeless, you can't read, and you have no money, right? “

Putting his right hand on the back of his head, and looking up toward the ceiling, Subaru was somewhat embarrassed.

“Well when you put it like that, it does sound pretty hopeless.”

“Emilia-sama.” Reinhard had stepped forward, “from what little I know of this young man, he seems to be a good person. I cannot allow what I have heard here to remain the status quo. I can take him to my estate and offer him employment and shelter.”

Emilia shook her head. "I'm the one who owes him a debt of gratitude. It's my duty to ensure that he can stand on his own two feet."

"Well that settles it then," offering Reinhard a handshake, Subaru continues, "I'd be an idiot to choose to go with you over a beautiful girl like her."

Taking his hand and grasping, Reinhard smiled.

“I suppose that much is probably true.”

As he turned back toward Emilia, Subaru caught a glimpse of her pouting face.

“Subaru you dunderhead.”

Her cheeks were turning red.

“Nobody says dunderhead any more, Emilia-tan.”

Her pout disappeared and her head tilted slightly sideways.

“Tan?” She looked both absolutely confused and positively adorable.

“It's a term of affection in my homeland! It means you're very cute!” He smiled his biggest smile and shot her a thumbs up.

“Emilia-sama! We need to get going!” Ram's voice could be heard from outside, so after giving Reinhard a nod, Subaru followed Emilia to the carriage.

***********************************************************************************

“Good morning, Subaru.” Emilia had just entered the inn's dining area, where breakfast had just been served. She had a nice smile that looked like it might be just slightly forced. Ram had apparently already eaten and was attending to Emilia.

The pink-haired girl had a rather surprised look on her face when he had accompanied Emilia to the carriage the night before.

“Subaru's coming with us,” Emilia told her, “I'll hear no argument to the contrary.”

Ram had simply shrugged and climbed up to the driver's seat. Later, she seemed a little off-put when Emilia asked her to pay for a room for Subaru in addition to their two rooms.

"Roswaal-sama's money is not something to be simply spent on a whim." She was souring toward the situation.

“He spent all day helping me and got to witness a murder scene for his trouble. It's the least we can do.” Emilia crossed her arms, making it clear that this was not something she was willing to discuss.

“As you wish, Emilia-sama.” Ram had no intention of fighting an uphill battle. She sighed, then entered the inn to arrange their lodging.

 _I wonder if she's gonna take it out on me,_ Subaru thought as he ate something that was a lot like bacon, but somehow easier to chew. It seems the food in this world is slightly different from home, and breakfast was no exception. He stole a glance toward Ram, who was standing near Emilia and immediately caught her looking at him with distaste.

“ _Hah!”_ It was barely audible, but she huffed and turned her head to the side, looking away.

_Great. Less than 24 hours here and I'm already pissing people off._

Suddenly, a gray cat came floating out of Emilia's hair, landing in front of Subaru.

“Thanks for doing your best to help my Emilia, Subaru!” Puck seemed genuinely happy to see him again, “she caught me up on what happened after I went to sleep. It sounds like you two had a terrible time.”

“I have to admit, it's the first time I've ever stumbled upon a murder scene.” Subaru reached out to pat the cat on the head but changed the trajectory of his hand mid-reach and opted to tickle his belly instead.

"Ah-ha hahaha!" Puck's laughter filled the room, and Emilia, who had been lost in thought suddenly perked up.

“Wow, Subaru. You must be reeeeally good with spirits. Puck never takes to new people like that.” Her eyes had gone wide, and the slight smile she had earlier grew just a little bit.

His reply was very matter-of-fact, “I don't know. We don't have spirits where I come from.”

All three of his companions went wide-eyed at this statement. Wondering if he said something weird, Subaru put both his hands up.

“Uh, I think maybe we have something similar, people call them fairies!”

“Fairies are bad, you shouldn't mess around with them.” Emilia's facial expression became notably more serious, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, I've never actually seen one," Subaru began, "they're just in a lot of our folk tales and old-timer stories, ya know?"

 _At least I'm not lying about that part,_ This thought brought him a small bit of comfort.

His reply seemed to make the others relax, so he figured that bringing up fairies was maybe a bad idea.

_So no talking about Tinkerbell I guess. I'll have to be careful about stories from home._

Home.

Why did he have the feeling that what he knew to be his lifelong home was no longer that? So far he'd been very much going with the flow in this strange new world. With everything that had been going on, he'd not had much time to think about it.

_What about Mom and Dad? I haven't talked to Dad for days, and when Mom told me to take care I didn't even say anything._

A crushing realization hit him all at once.

_I...might never see them again. I have no way to get back home._

He set his fork down, and his right hand slowly went to the upper left side of his chest

_What am I even doing here? How did this happen?_

His fingers began digging into his skin through his tracksuit. He was compelled to do so as if he were reaching for his own heart.

But why?

“Subaru?”

He looked up to see his companions all staring at him, Emilia, in particular, looked concerned.

“Are you ok? Your face looked so sad just now.” She had a look of both surprise and concern.

“Huh?” He was confused.

“Why are you grabbing at your chest like that? Do you have health problems?”

Her first thoughts after seeing him do something weird were of concern for his well-being.

 _She's so sweet,_ his thoughts immediately shifted to her.

“E.M.T.,” the words fell out of his mouth, “Emilia Major Tenshi.”

“Hmmm? What does that mean? Are you ok?” She tilted her head to the side as she leaned forward, wondering what he meant.

He burst forth from his chair.

“It means Emilia-tan is a major angel!” His sudden outburst left everyone agape, and the room fell silent.

“Subaru?”

"Yes, Emilia-tan?"

“What's an angel?” She leaned in ever so slightly.

Subaru smiled, “Someone like you who wants to make other people happy.”

At this declaration, Emilia froze. Cheeks turning bright red, arms suddenly waving in the air, she seemed genuinely embarrassed by the praise he pointed at her.

“Y, yo...you don't have to praise me like that! I know who I am! I'm a silver-haired half-elf after all!”

“So?” His response was both blunt and dismantling, “Your ears are what prove you are half-elf, right?”

Silence filled the room.

“I think your ears are cute.”

If one were to measure the output of the sun itself, consuming hydrogen atoms and transforming them into heavier elements, you have to use complex mathematics that involves exponents. That math could do no justice to the sudden increase of the heat coming from Emilia's face. She was simultaneously flattered, overjoyed, and aghast at someone being so forward about her most hated feature.

“SUBARU YOU IDIOT!” This was a mix of emotions she was not ready to deal with, and as it came crashing down upon her, she jumped up from the breakfast table and ran out of the room.

“Well. This is a first.”

Puck was floating now, agitated by her outburst.

“Did you mean that?” The cat looked back at him.

“Huh? Which part? I think she's beautiful.” Subaru innocently answered back to the spirit.

“Her ears. You think it's ok for someone to have ears like that?” Puck had an apprehensive look on his face, as if he wanted to be mad, but he couldn't.

“Yeah. It really ratchets up her cuteness factor. She's like a heroine from one of my JRPG's.”

Puck's eyes widened as he floated over the table, then he looked down in thought.

“I see.”

He started to float away, thinking he needed to find Emilia, but then his mind shifted.

 _Who is this boy? He seems to harbor only goodwill toward Emilia but his origin and motivations are a mystery, and what the heck is a JRPG?_ Puck's concerns began to manifest in his mind.

Ram started to gather the breakfast dishes as Puck thought to himself.

_Is this boy a threat? He sure doesn't seem to be._

He looked back at Subaru, who had finished eating and started helping Ram.

_He likes her in the way that a man likes a woman? Is that why he's staying with her?_

Realization dawns on the feline spirit, as he plops down on the table, eyes going wide.

_This isn't good. Or, maybe it is? Outside of me, she's never had any friends. Even the maids in the mansion are cold toward her._

As Subaru finished helping Ram, he glanced at Puck who was sitting on the table. The spirit seemed to be deep in thought. He decided it was time to make his way back to his room, and prepare to leave the city.

 _Maybe I came on a little too strong,_ he thought to himself.

_But everything I said was true._

_I like her a lot._


	3. The Mansion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia and Subaru arrive at the mansion. How will Roswaal react to her losing the sigil?

Chapter 3- The Mansion

As a large dragon-drawn carriage made its way down a road, it's emerald green color blended in well with the forested surroundings. A pink-haired maid drove the carriage, with a bored look upon her face.

Inside the carriage, an elven girl sat opposite a black-haired boy. The girl's face was flushed, and she stared at the floor of the carriage as they traveled through the forest. The boy had a pensive, and slightly embarrassed look on his face.

“Emilia, “ he said, “if what I said earlier was too much I'm sorry. My brain-to-mouth filter doesn't work very well sometimes.”

The girl looked up at him and then sighed deeply.

“You just surprised me. Nobody has ever told me that I was beautiful or that my ears are cute. Most people hate me at first sight _because_ of my ears.” Her eyes took on a faraway look, and a small amount of sadness came upon her face.

“Well that doesn't make any sense to me,” he looked honestly surprised, “I always thought elves and half-elves were the prettiest race. I always played their routes first.”

She looked at him, confused.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” she replied.

 _Does he not know about The Witch?_ She couldn't believe what she was hearing, even full-blooded elves faced the problem of being shunned due to the actions of the Witch of Envy.

“Subaru,” she asked in a small voice, “do you not fear the Witch?”

It was his turn to look confused.

“What witch? You know I'm not from this country so I guess I don't know anything about stuff like that,” Both of his hands were up in a motion of surrender, but his lips held a small smile.

“The Witch of Envy,” Emilia began, “400 years ago she went on a rampage and destroyed half of the world. It took the Holy Dragon, the Sword Saint, and the Great Sage to seal her. She's still alive, though she can't leave her prison in the Desert to the far east.”

 _Holy shit. Magic is a big deal in this world if there's someone who can do things like that,_ Subaru's eyes widened as he thought about what the girl said.

"Her name is Satella. She's a silver-haired half-elf." Emilia told him this while looking away.

“WHAT!? Why did you tell me that was your name!? No wonder Reinhard almost panicked!” Subaru was now genuinely a little angry at the reckless way she had given him that as her name.

“I wanted you to not get involved with my situation! I knew it could be dangerous! I thought telling you that was my name would scare you off!” With a pleading look, she leaned slightly toward him.

He looked at her for a few seconds, then sighed.

“Well I guess no harm came of it,” he began, “but if we're gonna be friends then we can't be lying to each other like that.”

"Friends?" Across from him, Emilia instantly sat up straight. "You want to be my friend?" Suddenly her face had gone from pleading to having a hopeful look.

“After what we've been through I think it's fair to say we already are.” He gave her another one of his cheesy grins.

Clasping her hands together in front of her, a wide smile came upon her face. “I'd like that very much! Yes! Let's be friends!” She looked so overjoyed that it caught him off guard.

"I've never had a friend before! I mean, the maids live in the mansion but they don't act like they want to be friends with me. Roswaal is my sponsor but he stays at arm's length as well. Beatrice never leaves the library. The mansion has been sooooo lonely except for Puck being there with me." She was suddenly both excited and full of lamentation at how the other residents of the mansion had kept their distance, metaphorically speaking.

“Well then,” still grinning, Subaru said, “allow me to be the very first.”

Then his grin began to turn downward, "I suppose you've been so lonely all because of your heritage. Another silver-haired half-elf did something very bad and you've had to pay the price for it, huh?"

A sad look came upon her face, and she looked back down toward the carriage floor.

"Before Roswaal came and asked me to join the Royal Selection, I lived alone with Puck in the Great Elior Forest. There was a nearby village that I was able to go to and trade crystals for food and other things, but only one merchant would talk to me." Her eyes were sad, half narrowed as she thought about the life she had led before. She looked up at Subaru and gasped.

 _He looks absolutely furious,_ _did I say something wrong_? She worried that she had already driven her first friend away by doing something stupid.

“That's terrible,” he began as he brought a shaking fist upward, “hating someone simply because of their race is one of the worst things a person can do. I'm so sorry that you've had to go through something like that. If I have anything to do with it, it'll never happen to you again. If somebody gets a shitty idea like that about you I'll just have to shut them up.”

Emilia's mouth dropped wide-open. Nobody, not even Puck, had ever told her anything like this.

 _Can he be real? Is he like this because he's not from Lugunica?_ She was astounded that someone could talk to a half-elf like her in this way.

Within her hair, a cat spirit listened to their conversation with great interest.

 _Who is this guy?_ Puck thought to himself, _I better keep an eye on him just to be safe._

***********************************************************************************

"This place is huge!" Subaru stood outside the front of the mansion that Emilia and her acquaintances lived in. "I know you said it was a mansion but holy crap!"

Emilia walked up beside him, a big smile on her face. "You should see it from the inside, it took me a while to stop getting lost on my way to my room."

Ram joined them, carrying a bag in each hand.

“We should go see Roswaal-sama immediately.” No emotion could be seen on her face, “He needs to be brought up to speed on the events that have transpired.”

Suddenly, the large front door was opened, and another girl in a maid outfit stepped out.

“Whoa! She looks just like you, Ram. Except her hair is blue!” Subaru was doing double takes, looking back and forth between the two maids.

“That is my younger twin sister, Rem.” As she said this, Ram began to walk into the mansion.

“Welcome back, sister. Welcome back, Emilia-sama.” Rem offered a deep bow to Emilia as the latter approached the front door.

"Rem, this is Subaru. He was a reeeeally big help to me in the capital and has nowhere else to go, so I brought him here with me. Subaru, this is Rem." Emilia gestured her hands back and forth, making the introduction.

“I see, welcome Subaru-sama. Please enjoy your stay as a guest in Roswaal-sama's estate.” Rem bowed deeply to Subaru.

“Thanks, Rem. It's just Subaru, don't worry about any formalities. I'll do my best not to get in anybody's way.” He followed Ram and Emilia into the mansion, where they ascended a grand staircase to the second floor. After walking down a long hallway for a little while, Ram stopped in front of a large set of double doors and began to knock.

“Roswaal-sama, Ram has returned from the capitol with Emilia-sama. We have brought news.”

“Ohhhhhhh come in Ram. I'm eager to hear what Emilia has to saaaaayyyy.” A voice with an odd speech pattern came through the door.

Opening the door, Ram stepped into the room, followed by Emilia and Subaru. It appeared to be a large study, with many expensive-looking books on shelves and a huge desk in the middle. Behind that desk, sat a man in a purple suit, with clown makeup on his face.

“Please have a seat, Emilia-samaaaaa,” the clown gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk. “Who might this person beeeee?” His gaze turned to Subaru, who felt like he was being stared at by some kind of predator.

After introducing Subaru to the man who was a Margrave and her benefactor for the Royal Selection, Emilia dove straight into the issue at hand.

"A problem has arisen. While in the capital, my sigil was taken from me by a thief." Once again Emilia looked down-trodden as she delivered the news to the man.

"I seeeeee. That is most unfortunate." Still smiling, Roswaal replied with a smirk on his face, as though he were expecting this turn of events. "Well, then what happened after that?"

"I came across Subaru here, who offered to help me find it. We were able to trace the thief to a loothouse in the slums." She continued.

“Oh ho! A little detective wooooork!” His glare had moved toward Subaru, and the smirk he held earlier now morphed into a full-blown grin.

“When we arrived at the loothouse, Subaru went inside to see who was there while I was the lookout,” her voice became quieter as she approached the climax of the story, “Subaru came running outside and said we had to go get help.”

As she said this, Roswaal, who had been leaning forward with a grin on his face, bolted upright and his smile quickly dropped.

"There were two dead bodies in there, a brown-skinned giant man and a young blonde girl. The girl was the one who had taken my sigil. Apparently, they were killed by a famous assassin called the Guthunter, and there was no sign of the sigil. It seems we have lost it." Her voice was now very small, as she explained what had happened.

“We found the Sword Saint wandering the slums, and he brought other knights to investigate the murders. They brought us to the main guard station where we filled out statements, then that's when we found Ram.” Both she and Roswaal turned to look at the pink-haired maid.

"Emilia-sama and I had become separated before her sigil was taken." Ram bowed to Roswaal. "Ram would have tried to prevent this theft, had she been there."

“Indeed.” Roswaal turned back to face Emilia. He glanced toward Subaru then asked her a question. “And why have you brought this boy here?”

"He has nowhere else to go. Yesterday was his first day in our country, and he has no money. Also, he can't read or write our language even though he can speak it." She looked at Subaru with warmth. "And, he tried to help me," she turned toward Roswaal, "plus, he's my friend."

His chin now resting on his folded hands, Roswaal was silent for nearly a minute. Emilia looked to be on edge as he considered the situation. Finally, he sat back up straight and closed one blue eye as he glared at her with a gold one.

"This simply will not do." He said. "I have given you every advantage that I could in the Royal Selection, and you can't even hold onto a simple small thing such as the sigil?"

“Roswaal-sama, I-” he cut her off swiftly.

"I never had much faith in you, to begin with, but this is simply ridiculous. To think that I had hope that one such as yourself could see this through to the end, only to stumble before it even begins." The clown was angry, eyebrows turned down and voice rising. "I brought you out of that bleak forest, fed you, clothed you in something better than the RAGS you came here in and had my staff look after your every need!"

Emilia was now shrinking in on herself, taking the vicious words straight to the heart.

"This stupidity, this carelessness, cannot be allowed!" Roswaal stood up and slammed his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Hey! Shitty clown! Take that back! She's not stupid, and it wasn't carelessness, she was robbed!" Subaru stood up as well and leaned forward toward Roswaal as he began to return the clown's malice.

Suddenly a palm hit him in the chest, and he flew backward toward the doors they came in through, slamming into them.

“Subaru!!” Emilia shot up and ran to where he lay. He was on his side, coughing up blood.

The maid Ram had been the one to deliver the blow upon him, moving faster than he could react. She now blocked Subaru and Emilia from Roswaal.

“An insect such as yourself is not allowed to speak to Roswaal-sama in such a manner.” Fury was etched upon her face. “Do not attempt to approach, or Ram will be forced to end you.”

Emilia began casting healing magic on Subaru's chest, as he lay on his side gasping.

“Looks like I can't sit this one out any longer.” A high-pitched voice echoed in the air, as a Grey cat became visible in front of Emilia. It was facing Ram with an angry look.

"That won't be necessary, Ram." The clown now appeared next to the maid, who had assumed a fighting stance. "Emilia," he had dropped the -sama, "You and your ilk are henceforth expelled from my mansion. Leave behind the clothes I have clad you in, for they will be burned. Take up the rags you came here in, take your spirit, and take this boy..." Six different-colored orbs of flame appeared above his hand, "and leave."


	4. Return by Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru's signature ability finally appears. But how will he deal with it?

Chapter 4- Return by Death

As the front door to the mansion slammed behind them, Emilia and Subaru looked at each other.

"I hope my little tirade wasn't what got you thrown out," he had a wounded look on his face as if he might start sobbing, "I told you I'd stand up for you but look how that worked out."

"No," she shook her head, "losing the sigil was a deadly blow to any aspirations I might have had toward making something of myself. This isn't your fault, it's mine."

They began to walk toward the village they had passed through in the carriage on the way here. She was now dressed in a simple brown dress, silver hair no longer in braids. It flowed even longer than before, reaching nearly down to the back of her knees.

"You didn't _lose_ the sigil, it was stolen, there's a big difference." He was determined to keep her from beating herself up over it. "Where should we go? I don't know anything about this country other than what I've learned since I met you."

"Well, besides that mansion there is one more place I've called home..." Her answer came rather quickly as if she'd already thought of what she wanted to do. "Elior Forest, it's where I was born and..." she trailed off as she got lost in thought.

"And?" He asked.

As they walked she looked at him. "I don't remember my childhood," she suddenly said, "seven years ago I was awakened from being frozen in ice by Puck. Anything that happened before that, I'm afraid I can't remember."

"Frozen in ice? How on Earth did you survive that?" Subaru's knowledge of science was certainly ahead of most anyone in this world, but something like that was yet to be achieved in his homeland.

 _Ah, magic I bet._ He thought to himself.

"I don't know for sure. It has to have something to do with magic, and Elior Forest is in a state of perpetual winter even though it's not far enough north to naturally be that way. Something bad must have happened because I wasn't the only one frozen." Once again, she was casting her eyes downward as they walked.

"There's an entire village of elves frozen as statues. Not Half-Elves like me, but full-blooded. I get little glimpses of memories from a long time ago sometimes. Those glimpses tell me that I might have been the one who froze everything." Her voice was starting to tremble. "That's why I agreed to join the Royal Selection. Roswaal said that the ruler of this country is someone who has access to the Blood of the Dragon, which can bring them back from their frozen state."

Subaru glanced backward at the mansion, which was slowly shrinking away.

"That little tantrum Roswall- _sama,"_ he put a ridiculing emphasis on the 'sama,' "just had told me that he had no interest in your goal, so there had to be some sort of motive for him. Do you know what it was?" His distaste for the bastard clown who had used her was obvious.

"I don't. He only said that the only way forward was for us to work together and achieve both of our dreams." She sounded despondent as they entered the village. "We should get through the village quickly, if anyone sees me there might be trouble."

As if on cue, from their left came the voice of a man, "Hey! What the hell is she doing here!?" Subaru turned to see a man seemingly in his later 20's pointing toward his companion. "We knew there was a half-devil in the Lord's mansion but she was supposed to stay up there! That was the deal with the Margrave!"

 _They wouldn't even let her out for a fucking walk?_ Subaru was appalled at the treatment of this sweet girl, who as far as he'd seen only wanted to help other people.

"Hey, asshole! You should be happy someone like her even blesses you with her presence!" His words were angry, "you should worship the ground she walks on!"

"No Subaru!!!" Fear rose quickly as she heard him yell those words, "worshipping a half-elf makes you sound like a witch cultist!!!"

Suddenly there were many more villagers, who exited homes and shacks and shanties seething at the words Subaru had uttered. Many had makeshift weapons such as pitchforks and clubs. Emilia looked around in fear, eyes going wide.

Subaru was incensed, how could these people act this way toward such a benevolent girl, who only wanted to help people? She was the embodiment of kindness.

"So what if she's a half-elf!? She's better than any of you racist assholes!" As they began to be surrounded by the angry villagers, Subaru had completely lost control of his emotions. "Fuck anybody that has anything bad to say about her! Come and fight me!"

"As you wish." A brown-haired middle-aged villager suddenly charged him with a pitchfork.

_Schunk._

It sunk into Subaru's chest with a sickening sound.

 _What?_ He couldn't believe what was happening.

The man had held the tines of the pitchfork horizontally, so it managed to rupture both sides of his lungs. It sunk into the wood of the building behind him.

 _I can't breathe I can't breathe I can't breathe!_ Panic was taking hold as he grasped the pitchfork that had him pinned in place.

"Coublough!!!" Blood erupted from his mouth as he began to panic.

"SUBARU!!!" Emilia was at his side in an instant, but as he glanced down toward her hand which was grabbing the handle of the pitchfork...

_THWACK_

Another villager hit her in the back of the head with a club. She collapsed, knocked out. Then they descended upon her with all manner of weapons. Her body lay low as the villagers stabbed her, beat her with clubs, sliced her with blades. A half-elf. A poor, innocent girl.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of cold, freezing all of the villagers who had attacked Emilia. She lay curled up on her side, a bloody mess, writhing in painful death seizures.

As Subaru attempted to breathe his last, he saw the vengeance of the cat spirit come to fruition as it morphed into an immense beast and began emitting massive amounts of cold.

"I appreciate what you tried to do for my daughter," he could hear its voice in his head as he lost consciousness, "but you failed spectacularly in protecting her."

He could no longer breathe, but Natsuki Subaru felt the pain of both suffocation and being frozen to death.

 _I just wanted to help her..._ His last thoughts were for her, as they were those of a boy who was falling in love.

********************************************************************************

"We should get through the village quickly, if anyone sees me there might be trouble."

"Huh?" Subaru looked around, as they stood at the edge of Arlam Village.

 _What the hell? Was that a dream? It couldn't be, I'm wide awake._ His thought was almost panicked. All of the pain he had been in moments before was gone, but the horror of the situation still clung to him.

"Let's avoid the village," he said, as he began shaking, "I have a bad feeling about going through it." His hands now clung to his arms and he couldn't speak without shuddering.

"Subaru?" Emilia looked at him with concern. He had suddenly become extremely frightened and she didn't know why.

"Let's just go around," he tried his best to put on a brave face for her, "it's a small village so it will only take a few minutes."

They made their way around the perimeter of the village with no problems, steadily heading toward the forest where Emilia had been born and raised. Between the two of them, they had no money and no prospects, so the outlook was somewhat bleak.

As the sun hung low in the sky, they decided to look for a place to sleep for the night. The idea of sleeping next to a beautiful girl had Subaru both excited and embarrassed, as he found himself in a situation that only his game protagonists had been in.

"This looks like a good spot." He'd found a level clearing just off the road. "My family was never much for going camping, but it looks like we'll just have to live with it."

"We should build a fire at least," Emilia suggested, "it will be quite a bit colder once the sun goes down."

They spent about an hour gathering wood and some small sticks for kindling. As Subaru wondered how they'd start the fire without even a flint to spark it with, Emilia pointed both of her palms toward the small pile of wood they had arranged for the fire. A small flame leaped from her hands to the wood and just like that, the fire was started.

"Well, that's handy." Subaru was impressed with her capabilities. It seemed there was much more to this girl than he had originally surmised.

"Although my magic is technically fire magic, I don't use the fire part of it very much," she told him, "my control of the spirit-arts is much better when I manipulate the temperature downward and use ice. When I try to use flames it tends to be messy."

"So your ice magic is actually fire magic but it's used to lower the temperature instead of raising it?" He was interested in learning how the magic of this world worked.

"Yeah, and technically it's not MY magic but Puck's." She was staring into the fire, knees drawn up to her with her arms around them. "I'm a spirit-arts user, not a magic-user."

"What's the difference?" Subaru was genuinely curious now.

"I cast spells by sending Puck's mana through his gate, visualizing the magic with my mind. A magic-user sends the mana in their own body through their own gate, which is something I can't do." She turned to look at him and gave a small smile. "You might be able to be a magic user, you know? Have you ever had someone check to see what your affinity is?"

"I might be able to use magic?" The possibility seemed exciting. Maybe he could be living the Isekai protagonist life in this world.

"Puck! I know it's after your bedtime, but can you come out?" She placed her hand on the jewel that hung from her neck, and the grey cat spirit appeared, yawning as he floated in the air. "Can you check to see what magic affinity Subaru has?"

"Ok Lia, but I expect some overtime pats for the trouble." Puck lazily floated over to where Subaru sat and stuck the end of his tail against Subaru's forehead. "Let's see here...it's Yin magic."

"Yin magic?" Subaru asked.

"Oh wow, that's rare! Normally people are geared toward either fire, water, earth, or wind. But Yin and Yang are dark and light magic respectively." She leaned toward him, excited.

"Dark magic huh?" He put his hand on his chin, musing, "does this mean I have some sort of rare power only seen every one thousand years?"

"Not really," Puck told him, "Yin magic is mostly used to blind and confuse opponents, or slow them down."

"So a support class, huh?" Subaru decided he could live with that, support casters could be very beneficial in a party setup.

 _So Emilia can be DPS and I'll be the debuffer._ His thoughts always tended toward looking at his situation as if he were in an MMO.

"Although you didn't get to meet her, there is another spirit in Roswaal's mansion beside me who uses Yin magic, and she was able to create a powerful offensive spell with it." Puck floated over to Subaru again, "do you want me to teach you?"

"Hell yeah!" Subaru was ecstatic, this was the fantasy isekai moment he was waiting for, "show me how to vanquish our enemies, Puck!"

"Ok then, close your eyes and visualize a spike made of shadow, and push the mana out of your gate to make it appear." He landed on Subaru's head and put his paws on Subaru's temples, "I'll help you guide the mana. Once you've visualized it, the incantation is called Minya."

Subaru concentrated, once Puck touched his temples he could feel strange energy flowing inside of him, and with Puck's help, he guided it outward.

 _Ah, so this must be the gate he was talking about._ In his mind, a dark sphere appeared which he pushed the energy through.

"Minya!" he yelled suddenly.

A three-foot-long black flaming spike appeared and shot across the campsite, slamming into a nearby tree. A large section of the tree became crystallized, and the trunk shattered in a shower of sparks. The tree started to fall over, thankfully in the opposite direction of where they sat.

<BTOOOM>

Emilia sat staring at the tree, mouth wide open.

"I can't believe that was your first spell! That was suuuuper powerful for a first-timer!" She was excited, as she looked upon the aftermath of his magic. "I've never seen that spell before! Puck what was that?"

"Crystallized shadow magic, something that Beatrice came up with." Puck was floating with his arms crossed, nodding in approval. "Subaru, it seems you have a lot of potential as a magic-user. We'll need to work on training your abilities. The more you use your magic, the better you will get at it. Also, we'll need to push your mana pool to grow, it's not very big right now, but with time you could be able to handle a lot of mana."

Subaru flopped forward on his knees and bowed to Puck, excited about this development. "Yes, Puck-sama! I look forward to your teachings!!!"

Emilia giggled, placing her hand over her mouth.

 _Maybe all of this is for the best._ She had been dejected after the incident at the mansion, but the antics of the boy she had met only yesterday were putting her in a good mood.

 _I have a_ _feeling that things are going to be ok._

As the night set in, Puck had retreated to his crystal and the two young travelers drifted off to sleep.

As Subaru lay on his side, using his track-suit jacket for a pillow, he wondered.

_What was that vision I had of us dying in the village?_


	5. A Flower Can Grow in the Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tired and starving duo of Emilia and Subaru have arrived at her old home in Elior Forest, do they have what it takes to survive?

Chapter 5- A Flower Blooms in the Snow

The two young travelers stood in deep snow. Neither of them spoke, as they lacked the energy to do so. In front of them was a house carved into a tree, the place where Emilia had lived since as far back as she could remember.

“This is it,” she finally broke the silence with a hoarse voice, “this was my home.”

"Shall we go in?" Subaru was shivering, his tracksuit was not suited for a place like this, but it was all that he had. "I really want to get warmed up."

Joining hands, they moved forward.

They walked up to the front steps and slowly ascended them, Emilia placed a hand on the ancient wooden door that she had passed through so many times before. Nostalgia began to flood her mind as she thought of the years she spent here with Puck, all alone other than having the company of the spirit.

 _But this time it's different._ She thought to herself, _n_ _ow I have a friend to spend time with._

Pushing the door open, they entered the home she had abandoned almost a year ago.

***********************************************************************************

Flames crackled in the fireplace, as two figures huddled together as close to the fire as they could get.

"Normally the cold doesn't bother me much," Emilia began, "but it seems like not eating for almost a week has weakened my constitution." Her teeth chattered and her voice cracked as she spoke.

She turned to look at the boy who sat next to her. He seemed to be in even worse shape than she was. His eyes were sunken in, his cheekbones protruding prominently from his face.

“It's ok, Emilia-tan,” he turned to meet her gaze, “at least there was still some leftover food from when you left this place. Even if it was just a bag of nuts, it's better than nothing.”

Her previous preparations had saved them, just when they were on the brink of starvation. There was enough food for a few days if they were careful and rationed accordingly.

 _This boy is always optimistic._ She thought about him, a person she hadn't known for very long but felt she knew him for much longer. _He's trying to keep me in good spirits, what a good person he is._

“We need a plan,” he continued to look toward her, “after about three days we're going to run out of food, so we need to figure out what to do moving forward. Do you have any weapons? Something we could use for hunting?”

“I never did much hunting before, I couldn't stand to skin and prepare the meat from dead animals. I mostly just gathered pyroxene crystals from the forest and traded them for food in the village.” She stared at the fire as she spoke, “do you know anything about skinning animals?”

“No, I was a city boy through and through,” he grinned, “but why don't we ask Puck?”

"You're in luck!" The grey cat appeared once again, emerging from the crystal on her necklace, "if you can bring down some prey, I can walk you through preparing it. I would suggest using Lia's ice magic to do the hunting because your Yin magic will crystallize anything you strike it with."

“But I don't want to kill some innocent animals!” She voiced her concerns suddenly, “can't we just go to the village and trade like we used to!?”

"Remember what happened with the village, Lia?" Puck floated over to her, "they traded your location to a band of slavers to get rid of you, leading to that business with Malaquera. I think that bridge has been thoroughly burned to the ground."

“I don't want to force her to do something she's uncomfortable with,” Subaru turned toward the spirit, “do we have any alternative?”

Puck thought for a few seconds, then shook his head. “No crops will grow here as long as the forest is in the grip of this snow and ice. None of the trees that grow in this forest bear fruit. You can't trade with the village because they fear Lia's heritage. I'm afraid that hunting is the only option.”

Subaru looked at Emilia, who had her eyes closed in thought. The amethyst orbs then opened, and she turned to him and nodded.

“I suppose that we have no choice,” she had decided, “I'll use my ice magic and get us something to eat.”

***********************************************************************************

“Sneak sneak sneak,” Emilia whispered as she crouched behind a bush.

“Emilia!” Subaru, coming up next to her, whispered, “saying sneak sneak sneak while you are sneaking around is the opposite of being sneaky!”

“I can't help it! It's like I'm compelled to say it for some reason!” She whispered back to him.

They had set off from her house in a random direction, and soon found a set of rabbit tracks. They had slowly followed them for about ten minutes now and were hoping to find the animal that had left them very soon.

 _Grrrrrbbuuullll_ \- Emilia's stomach growled loudly as she peered over the bush.

“Ignore that!” Her face turned red as she ducked back down, embarrassed, “I still don't see the rabbit!”

“Let's keep following the tracks, then.” He moved to walk around the bush, crouched down low. “Surely we're getting close.”

They followed the tracks for a few more minutes, staying low and walking slowly as they went.

"There!" Subaru whispered as he peered around a tree, "there it is!"

A white rabbit could be seen in a clearing ahead, sniffing at the branches of a bush. Emilia crept up behind Subaru and stuck her right hand out around him.

“Huma,” she whispered this and a small stake of ice appeared, and whizzed toward the rabbit.

SPLUNK

That rabbit was impaled by the ice, dying instantly.

“WAY TO GO EMILIA-TAN!!!” Subaru jumped up and shouted, then turned around and held his right hand up in the air. “HIGH FIVE!”

“What? High five?” A confused look came over her.

“Slap my hand with your hand! It's something we do in my home country when somebody does something cool!” His grin was huge, his eyes laughing.

"Oh! Ok!" She raised her hand and smacked his with it, palm-to-palm.

“Ow, shit!” He shook his hand back and forth, “that stings! Just how strong are you, anyway?”

“Uh, well I don't really know,” she said, “Elves are supposed to be the strongest race, from what I've been told, so pretty strong I guess? Puck told me it was something along the line of ten human men?”

Subaru's mouth gaped, but only for a few seconds before turning back into a big grin. "Hey, I'm not about to complain about somebody who's on my side being strong, even if it's a girl!"

Walking over to the rabbit, Subaru picked it up by the back legs.

“Looks like we're gonna be eating good tonight!”

***********************************************************************************

The old cookware that had been left in her home came in very useful after Puck had shown Subaru how to skin and prepare the rabbit.

The two of them now once again sat in front of the fire, both with a satisfied smile.

“That was delicious,” she said, looking toward him, “who knew that it was so easy to make yummy food with just a little bit of hunting?”

“Nobody says yummy nowadays, Emilia-tan.” He smiled, meeting her gaze, “I was surprised how good it turned out, considering that we don't have any spices or salt on hand.”

He continued to look toward her, letting the comfortable nature of the moment guide them toward silence. He found himself looking into her eyes, a set of violet pools with blue centers.

 _I could get lost in those eyes, they're absolutely stunning._ He thought to himself.

 _He really is pretty handsome._ Emilia, likewise, found herself admiring her companion. _I guess I haven't noticed, with all of the crazy things that have been going on._

A feeling of warmth and mutual respect had blossomed between the two youngsters. Over the week since they had met, they had found each other to be both capable and resilient. They had surpassed trial after trial to get to this point, where at long last they could rest easy, if just for a little bit.

“Say, Emilia-tan,” Subaru began in a soft voice, “how old are you, anyway?”

“You know you're not supposed to ask that of a lady,” she smiled at him, “but I'll go ahead and tell you. I'm a hundred and fourteen years old.”

“Bwaaugh!!!” Subaru spun 90 degrees toward her, astonished. “What!? How!?”

"I'm a half-elf, dummy. Everybody knows that elves live for a looooong time." Her smile widened, "but a hundred of those years were spent frozen in ice while my body grew. I was seven years old when I was frozen, then spent seven years here with Puck and in the mansion after I woke up. So mentally, I'm fourteen. But my body is that of an eighteen-year-old."

“Uuuuuhhhhh,” he was rendered speechless.

“How old are you, Subaru?” she leaned towards him, curious.

“Well, I just turned seventeen about six months ago.” He confirmed to her.

“Oh!” She looked surprised, “I thought you were probably about twelve, no thirteen! Thirteen!”

“Hahhh!?” His eyes widened incredulously, “what the heck gave you that impression!? I'm pretty much fully grown!”

"Well," she put a finger to her mouth and looked upward, "you do kind of act like a kid sometimes so I thought you might just be an early bloomer."

"Hey now!" He shot back at her, "I don't need to hear that from somebody with the brain of a fourteen-year-old!"

“It'll be fifteen in about two weeks!” She replied. “So don't go thinking you can treat me like a kid! Fifteen is the age of adulthood in this country, after all!”

Surprised, he leaned back, supporting himself with his arms on the floor. "Oh? Is that right? So I guess that means I'm considered an adult in this country..." he trailed off for a second before realization dawned on him. "Wait, your birthday is coming up? I'll have to come up with something special for you!"

A blush dawned on her face, as she slightly turned away from him, “Y-you don't have to do something like that!”

“I know I don't have to,” he said, “but I want to.”

“Oh.” She turned her face back toward him, “well, I mean, I suppose if it's something you want to do then it can't be helped.”

“Well yeah,” he was grinning again now, and jabbed a thumb at his chest, “leave it to me! I'm going to make sure you have the best birthday ever!”

She blushed even deeper, unable to meet his gaze with her own. “O-o-ok. I'll leave it in your hands then! We should get some sleep! It's getting late.”

Their sleeping arrangement had been quite simple, Emilia slept in her old bed, which was still perfectly serviceable if not as nice as the princess arrangement she's had at the mansion. Subaru's spot was in a large reclined chair that had just a bit of padding on it. It wasn't so bad, considering that he's been sleeping on the ground as they had journeyed here. He grabbed a large blanket that they'd found in one f the closets when they arrived here, and plopped down on the chair, covering himself. Emilia, likewise, crawled into the bed just a few feet away and lay on her side under the covers facing away from him.

“Good night, Emilia-tan,” he said in a low voice, already starting to drift off into sleep after their long day.

“Good night, Subaru,” she replied with a blush. A small smile crept onto her face as she succumbed to sleep.

***********************************************************************************

Stretching his arms and legs, Subaru stood up from the chair he'd spent the night in.

“I think today is a good day to do some radio calisthenics!” He looked over toward Emilia, who he's learned was very much not a morning person.

He grabbed her shoulder and gently shook her, “Emilia-tan. It's time to get up. I want to show you some exercises from my homeland that help get the blood pumping in the morning!”

“Fibe more minssszzzzzz,” she replied as she rolled over from her side to laying on her back.

“Naughty Emilia-tan! You need to wake up!” He shook her a bit harder this time.

“Fiiiiine...” she slowly sat up, eyes bleary, and yawned.

After he got her to get out of bed and get some shoes on, he led her toward the front door.

“Let's do some radio calisthenics to get ready for the day, then we can eat the rest of that leftover rabbit for breakfast!” He grabbed the door handle, looking back at her.

“I don't know what that is,” she yawned again, “but whatever.”

As they walked through the door and stepped out into the snow, the cold air had an awakening effect on her. Eyes widening, she was now fully cognizant.

“I was wondering how long it would take for the two of you to wake up.” A husky feminine voice met their ears, and both of them snapped their heads to the left, where the words had come from.

Before them stood a tall woman, with black hair, wearing a black dress, and brandishing a blade.

“I didn't expect you to leave the Margrave's mansion so quickly, so it took me a couple of days to find you.”

”Who the hell are you!?” Subaru had no idea who this woman was, but she looked like trouble.

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself." The woman bowed.

“Elsa Granhiert, at your service.”


	6. Elsa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An assassin has come for Emilia, and Subaru is determined to protect her from the threat.

Chapter 6- Elsa

“What do you want?” Subaru stepped in front of Emilia, blocking Elsa from her. He eyed the large knife in her right hand.

“Well, someone who I work for doesn't like that girl very much.” She pointed her knife at Emilia, “and wants her to go away.”

"Well, I'm not gonna just stand around and let that happen. We're planning on living here by ourselves for the foreseeable future, can't you let us be?" Subaru decided it would be worth trying to reason with the woman. "She had her sigil taken in the capital so she's out of the Royal Selection, can you just let bygones be bygones and leave us alone?"

“Were that it could be that way, but I'm afraid not. Once the order has been issued, the job has to be carried out.” She started to step toward the pair, knife dropping to her side.

 _Shit. I don't know anything about what this lady is capable of._ Subaru's thoughts were racing.

Suddenly, the woman leaned forward, and with a tremendous burst of speed covered the ten yards between them in a split second. She swung her blade at Subaru's stomach, but Emilia managed to yank him backward just in time.

The woman, Elsa landed behind where they had been standing, feet sliding in the snow.

“Hmm, it looks like fighting in this slippery snow might just make things a little more complicated.” She grinned as she brought up her blade for another attack.

“Puck, come out!” Emilia commanded her contracted spirit, who appeared from the crystal he'd been sleeping in.

“Who's that weird lady?” Puck was instantly at full alert.

“Her name is Elsa, and she's an assassin who was sent here after me,” Emilia replied seriously, “she's fast, and uses that strange blade, but that's all we know right now.”

"Oh?" Elsa's eyebrows raised, "a spirit? This is going to be interesting! I've never seen the bowels of a spirit before!"

“Bowels?” Subaru noticed that she had mentioned that word, “are you the Guthunter?”

“Indeed, some do call me that.” Elsa's eyes took on a manic look, “I love to see the colors of freshly spilled bowels! You look like you must have a nice set yourself!” Once again, she leaned forward, “why don't we open you up and take a look!”

Elsa sprang forward toward Subaru for a second time.

“HUMA!!!” Emilia's voice rang out clear, firing an ice spike at Elsa, who dodged and then jumped sideways.

“Let's go, Puck!” Emilia sprang into action as she and Puck fired off a volley of spikes toward Elsa, who dodge lithely and with continuous movements.

 _Maybe I can hit her with a minya while Emilia's got her distracted._ Subaru darted toward a treeline near where Puck and Emilia were trying to pin Elsa down with rapid-fire huma's.

“You can't hit me,” Elsa dodged another round of huma's and launched off of the side of a tree trunk toward Emilia, “so why not give up and let me see those lovely innards?”

“I think I like my innards right where they are thank you,” Emilia jumped over Elsa as the latter sliced downward where she had been a moment before. Landing on a larch tree branch, she frowned down at Elsa.

“Whoa, Emilia-tan can really jump!” Subaru muttered to himself, noting that she had landed on a branch about 20 feet in the air.

 _Now if I can just use these trees as cover and get the drop on Elsa, a well-timed minya should be able to take her down. But I'll only get one shot at it since my control is still bad._ Eyeing the battle in front of him, Subaru spotted a large tree that he could hide behind and wait for Elsa to come near.

A volley of huma's rocked the tree line to his right as Elsa danced around them, Emilia landing some thirty feet away in the open snowfield. Puck was perched on her shoulder, doubling their offensive power as he cast simultaneously with her.

“Leave this forest! We don't want anything to do with you so just leave us alone!” Emilia pleaded.

“I'm afraid I can't do that, Miss Elf. I told you,” Elsa said, “once a target is given the job must be finished.” She sidestepped another volley of ice, then back-flipped, and launched off of a tree toward Emilia, blade ready to slice.

Dodging to her left, Emilia evaded the weapon, firing more huma's as she retreated. Elsa's blade cut most of them down, and she was able to side-step the rest. She quickly jumped toward Emilia again, who dodged toward the tree-line where Subaru lay in wait.

"I would tell you to quit dodging because it's annoying, but that would be quite hypocritical of me" Else launched herself toward Emila, who once again jumped straight up to land on a large branch, one that was in the tree next to the one where Subaru hid.

Elsa stood below her, looking up with a perverted smile on her face. “You certainly are an interesting target. Not many can avoid my blade as well as you have.”

 _Now's my chance while she's distracted!_ Subaru stuck his right hand toward Elsa, who was half-turned away from him looking up toward Emilia.

“Minya!” A flaming black spike of shadow shot forward toward Elsa, who had started to turn when she heard him behind her. The spike impacted her in the middle of the torso, slamming her into the tree that Emilia was in some fifteen feet higher.

“GAH!” Elsa gasped, then looked down at the spike that had impaled her. “I wondered where you'd went.” She looked up as Subaru came out from behind his hiding spot and approached her. “I thought after all that big talk you'd just decided to run away and abandon the half-elf.”

Elsa's flesh began to turn to purple crystal, spreading out in all directions slowly from where the minya had impacted.

Landing next to Subaru, Emilia watched as Elsa's body slowly turned to crystal. “Who sent you?” She asked Elsa.

“Rule number one in this business, girl. I can't tell you who sent me under the force of a contract.” Most of her body had turned, and she looked from Emilia over to Subaru. “You surprised me, boy. That doesn't happen very often.” As she finished speaking, her face crystallized, and she stopped moving.

Emilia turned to Subaru, “Are you unharmed!? Do you have any injuries?”

“I should be asking you that, Emilia-tan. You were the one she was chasing pretty much the whole time.” He eyed her up and down, looking for injuries and finding none.

"Well, after all of that I've gone and spent most of my mana so I'm going to take a little cat nap," Puck floated toward Emilia, "and Subaru," he turned toward the black-haired boy, "nice job." He smiled at Subaru, then disappeared into the crystal Emilia wore.

Emilia looked at the purple crystal assassin which now sat pinned against a tree. “What should we do with her?”

"Let's leave her there for now," Subaru said. "We have to consider what to do from here."

As the two began to walk back toward the house, Emilia asked, “What do you mean?”

“I mean I don't think it's going to be safe to stay here. Someone sent an assassin after you. So that means that they know where we are, and they will know that Elsa failed if she doesn't come back.” He turned to look at her and was saddened by her downcast face.

“But we just got back. And we figured out how to solve our food problem...” she said very quietly.

“I know, it sucks. But it looks like we're going to have to go somewhere else.” Then he stopped as a thought crossed his mind. “Emilia, if she's the Guthunter then she should have your sigil!”

He turned around and suddenly found himself being blasted backward as something impacted his stomach. He bounced from the force of the blow and landed on his side.

“Guh, what the hell?” As he craned his head to look toward where he'd been standing, with fuzzy vision he could see Emilia landing on the ground a few feet away.

Spreading out around her was a pool of blood.

"Emilia!!!" he started to reach toward her, then the pain hit him. "Ackggghhh!" He looked down at his stomach to see blood coming out, staining his tracksuit. His entrails were strung out for about ten feet.

“Bwurgh!!” He vomited blood, staining the snow that he was laying in.

 _I have to save her! I have to save Emilia!_ He reached toward one of her outstretched hands, where she lay face-down on the snow, unmoving. Grabbing the hand, he squeezed. His consciousness was fading fast.

“Emilia......tan.” He felt a small squeeze from her in return. Then, just as he began to fade, Elsa's voice could be heard approaching.

“Rule number two, finish the job at all costs.”

She sounded amused.

Then, Natsuki Subaru died.

***********************************************************************************

"Gyah!" Subaru sat upward with a start. He looked down at his stomach, which was completely intact. Looking around, he realized he was back in Emilia's house and had been asleep in the chair that he had claimed as a pseudo-bed.

Jumping up, he bolted to where Emilia lay asleep and shook her. “Emilia! Wake up! Emilia!!!”

“Jeeeeez what is it?” She sat up with a sleepy look. “It's too early!”

He looked her over and could see nothing wrong with her.

_Again? It's just like that time in the village. Was it some kind of vision?_

_Or did we really die?_ A shudder ran through him as he considered that possibility.

As Emilia began to climb out of bed another thought struck him.

_Elsa! Is she already outside!?_

He bolted to the front door as a confused Emilia made a surprised noise behind him. Flinging it open, he ran out and bounded down the short stairway, looking to his left.

Standing there was a tall woman with black hair, in a black dress, holding a knife.

“Oh my, where are you going in such a hurry?” The woman pointed a question at him.

"Subaru!?" Emilia came running out behind him and quickly noticed the woman who had been waiting for them.

“Elsa!” Subaru spat out, “How the hell did you find us!?”

"Oh? You know who I am? Well, that makes this much easier." She smiled as she replied.

“Emilia, this is Elsa Granhiert, the Guthunter that Reinhard was talking about,” he turned to see a frightened look on her face. “This is the bitch that walked away with your sigil in the capital.”

“What!?” Emilia was dumbfounded, “You! Elsa! Do you have my sigil for the Royal Selection?”

“Oh, you mean this?” Else pulled a small triangular object from within her dress, it had a red jewel in the center. “I do.”

“Give it back! I need that to free the people of this forest!” She pleaded with the assassin, but Subaru knew there was no point.

"She's here to kill us, Emilia," Subaru growled.

“Acquisition of the sigil was a secondary goal, you know.” Elsa took a step forward, “The point was to get you isolated from both the capital and the mansion. Now you're all alone with no chance of help coming to save you.” She placed the sigil back within the folds of her dress.

Another step. “Though I admit, my calculations didn't take this boy into account.” She raised the knife to her mouth and licked it. “I wonder what sort of splendid color his entrails will be?”

“Why did you kill the two people in the loothouse?” Emilia had put together what had happened in the capital.

"Huh. You mean you managed to track the thief girl to that place? I'm surprised we didn't cross paths." Elsa stopped. "The reason I killed them is simple. They got greedy and demanded more money than our agreement had entailed."

Then slowly, Elsa bent forward and brought up her weapon.

“Well then, let's begin, shall we?”


	7. Puck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After possibly dying again, this time at the hand of Elsa, Subaru has to figure out how to beat her with no time to prepare.

Chapter 7- Puck

Leaping forward, Elsa brandished her weapon and began to swing it at Subaru.

The s _ame move as last time!_ He jumped backward as fast as he could, narrowly avoiding the deadly blade.

"Come out, Puck!" Emilia yelled and the cat instantly appeared.

“Who's this weird lady?” Puck asked Emilia.

 _It's the same as last time once the fighting started!_ Subaru thought to himself. _Does that mean what I think it means?_

“Her name is Elsa,” Emilia told Puck, “she's an assassin who came here to kill us.”

“A spirit!” Elsa became excited, “I've never seen the entrails of a spirit before! This is marvelous!”

Emilia and Puck began firing huma's at Elsa as she dodged about in the same manner as the first time.

 _The last time we both died, so I gotta figure out what needs to be done differently to make it past her this time around._ Subaru took off sprinting toward the treeline that he had previously taken advantage of. _Even a surprise minya wasn't enough to kill her. But she has to have a weakness!_

“Where's that boy going? Doesn't he know that the fun is over here?” Elsa turned her head to watch Subaru run toward the trees, “surely he's not running away to leave you to fight alone?”

 _It would probably be for the best if he did,_ Emilia thought.

Over the next several minutes, Subaru watched as the fight played out in the same way as last time. Puck and Emilia, with the spirit clinging to her shoulder, fluidly switched between offense and defense as Elsa did the same. Eventually, they made their way to the treeline again, Emilia landing in the high branch as Elsa looked up.

_This is it again! I'll use a minya to stop her for a bit so we can figure out what to do!_

He leaped out from behind the tree again, but this time was not as careful to be quiet. As his feet landed, the snow below them crunched. Elsa turned and saw his ambush coming.

"Minya!" The shadow spear rocketed toward Elsa, who smashed it aside with her blade, destroying her weapon in the process.

"Oh, you broke my Kukri! Good thing I have more to spare!" She pulled another blade from behind her back and looked back up at Emilia. "Shall we continue? I think that boy just used all of his mana with an attack like that. I'll deal with him after I get you squared away."

"Run, Subaru! Run to the village! You can't fight anymore so you need to run!" Emilia yelled. She then fired off a volley of ice spears at Elsa, who lept away laughing, and Emilia gave chase.

 _Shit shit shit shit shit! What do I do?_ Subaru began to panic, _I used all of my mana in that one attack, I gotta find a way to help Emilia!_

As the battle raged on in the middle of the field in front of Emilia's house, Subaru sprinted back to the dwelling. He ran inside, searching for anything that could be used as a weapon. Frantically he searched.

_Does she not own any fucking knives!?_

He frantically opened cabinets and drawers, but the home was small and held very little in the way of storage.

 _Nothing! What am I going to do?_ He thought to himself.

***********************************************************************************

"Puck, we're going to need to change tactics," Emilia said to the spirit as she dodged another swipe from Elsa, “you're going to run out of mana at this rate!”

“Alright, let's try a pincer attack,” Puck confirmed a change of strategy to her, “we can come at her from opposite angles and catch her in the crossfire.”

“Ok, let's do it,” Emilia leaped to dodge another attack as Puck flew in the opposite direction. Luckily they didn't need to maintain physical contact for her to channel his mana.

“A new strategy? I see, the fight was getting boring so that should help keep things more interesting.” Elsa went on the defensive dodging spikes of ice and smashing them with her Kukri blade.

Emilia fire a volley to Elsa's left side, forcing her to leap to the right to avoid it, landing her right under Puck's nose.

“Got you!” Puck yelled as he channeled mana to fire several ice spikes at her.

"I don't think so," Elsa whirled and threw her Kukri blade at Puck, skewering him. With his cry of surprise, the blade and the spirit both flew through the air, landing near the side of the tree home.

Elsa was turned, watching him fly away, confident he'd been dealt with.

It was her mistake to underestimate the half-elf girl.

As Elsa turned back her body was skewered by several dozen spikes of ice, freezing her flesh wherever they penetrated. Frozen like a statue, she slowly fell over and hit the ground.

“PUUUUCK!!!!” Emilia frantically ran toward where he had landed, praying to the Dragon that he would be ok.

***********************************************************************************

As Subaru left the house, he saw Emilia sprinting over to the side of the building with an anguished cry.

 _Something must have happened to Puck!_ He ran toward where the girl went, glancing at Elsa as she lay frozen on the ground.

He found Emilia on her knees, attempting to cast a healing spell on Puck, who had one of Elsa's blades buried n his midsection.

“Lia.” Puck struggled out, “healing magic doesn't work on spirits, you know that.”

“Tell me what to do! I don't know what to do!” her eyes full of tears, the poor girl was frantic, trying to find a way to help her spirit.

“There's nothing you _can_ do I'm afraid.” Puck was beginning to become see-through, “The blade she got me with has a curse on it. No magic nor mana can heal this wound. I can sense the curse. If Beatrice were here she might be able to undo it but it's too complex for me.”

Slowly and gently removing the blade from his small body, she threw the cursed weapon aside and picked up the shuddering cat spirit. His eyes were half-lidded now.

“My mana's about to run out. That's going to be the end, Lia.” he glanced up at her.

Wracking, tremendous sobs escaped from the girl.

“Lia, before I'm gone there's a few things I need to tell you.” He vied for her attention one last time.

She looked at him, tears streaming like a river from both amethyst eyes.

“After I'm gone, your memories will return. All of them. From before I awoke you, too.”

Her eyes widened, she hadn't known why so much of her past was blank.

"Also, you're not only a spirit arts user, but you're also a magic-user. My contract blocked off your gate because when you were newly awoken you couldn't control the massive amount of mana that you generate. Now that you're older, you should be able to control it." He smiled as he looked her in the eyes. "You have the potential to be the most powerful magic-user in the world."

She gasped, and simultaneously a sob tried to escape, as she gazed at the little fading spirit.

“Last, I love you, Lia. You will always be my daughter.”

The girl began sobbing again, and Puck turned to look at Subaru who was kneeled next to her.

“Subaru,” he weakly said.

“Yes?” Subaru didn't know what to say.

“Take care of her. But I don't have to tell you that, I can sense what your feelings for her are. In a little while, after all of this is over and she's moved on...you should tell her. You might be surprised at how she responds.” Looking back toward Emilia, again Puck smiled. He was now almost completely transparent.

"Emilia. Maybe one day we'll meet again, in the Od Laguna. But in the meantime, live a long and happy life. Find people who will care for you as that boy does." Subaru could tell the end was here for the little spirit.

“And someday, start a family of your own. One that will love you and you can love in return...”

With that, the Great Spirit of Fire faded away in a cloud of blue-colored mana.

The jewel on Emilia's necklace cracked and shattered.

The half-elf's wail could be heard for miles around.

***********************************************************************************

Subaru did the only thing he could think to do.

He held her.

He held her tight and cried with her. He hadn't known the two of them for very long, but the time he'd spent with them had been both precious and turbulent. The small cat had been an ally to the end, and Subaru had been unable to do anything to prevent his passing.

 _Useless! Always so fucking useless! I even burned up the one chance I had to be helpful!_ His thoughts turned inward. _If only I had some kind of ability! Anything at all could help! But I can't fight, I can't heal, and I can barely use magic! I'm so fucking useless!_

In the corner of his eye, he caught movement.

Elsa had begun to stir once again.

“Emilia, I know this isn't the best time,” he gently told her, “but Elsa's not dead.”

Emilia's head shot up as she looked where the assassin had fallen. Elsa was slowly starting to move again. Standing up, Emilia started to cast more ice magic, then stopped when she realized Puck wasn't there for her to activate any spells with.

"Puck's gone. I can't cast anymore." She whimpered, still thinking about her deceased spirit.

"Remember Emilia? He said you're a magic-user and that you would be able to use your own mana once he was gone." Subaru stood up, "It's just like he taught me, you have to search inward to find your gate, and feel the mana."

Emilia turned her thoughts inward and searched. She didn't remember ever locating the mana this way as she had always just used Puck's, as well as his gate.

But then she found it. Within herself.

A massive, monstrously huge pool of mana was swirling around inside of her.

And there it was.

Her gate.

It felt capable of moving vast quantities of mana, much more than Puck's could.

Her eyes shot open as she felt the power building up inside of her. Raising a hand and pointing the palm toward Elsa, who had just started to stand, she whispered.

“Al Huma.”

A massive ten-meter-long spear of ice appeared and shot at insane speed toward Elsa. As the assassin turned toward them the spear caught her dead square and carried her across the meadow smashing into an embankment on the far opposite side.

Emilia quickly leaped forward and sped toward where Elsa and the ice spear had landed, leaving Subaru standing alone near the old house.

“I wish I could help her somehow,” he lamented the fact that there was nothing he could do. Turning his head toward the sky he yelled. “Why can't I do anything!? Isn't there someone out there who can give me a way to help her fight!?”

Amidst all of the crashing and booms that were coming from the other side of the clearing as Emilia rampaged, the place where Subaru was standing near the house felt surprisingly peaceful. Noticing slight movement, he looked down near his right hand to see a small red orb of light, floating near him in a sort of figure-eight pattern.

 _What is this?_ He wondered. He was surprised when he got an answer.

< _I am a quasi spirit of fire. I have answered your call for aid. >_

 _What!? You can hear my thoughts?_ He was astonished.

< _Your affinity to commune with spirits is the highest I have ever seen in a human. I would be honored to make a contract with you and serve you as your spirit of fire. >_

 _That sounds awesome!_ The boy was elated. _I'd love to make a contract with you if it helps me protect Emilia! But if we're going to do something like that, why don't you tell me your name, first?_

_ <It is the contractor's privilege to honor me with a name.>_

_Oh! I didn't know that! Um..._ he glanced across the field to see how Emilia was doing. Elsa was now back to being mobile, dodging Emilia's furious use of ice magic. Subaru knew he'd better hurry up before Elsa pulled another trick and turned the tide on Emilia.

_Igni. How about that? It means fire in one of the tongues of my homeland._

_ <Igni will do nicely. Let us forge a pact.>_

_**********************************************************************************_

Emilia was raging. Never in her life had she remembered ever being this angry. She directed that fury at the cause of her sorrow, the assassin who had come to claim her life, and instead had claimed the life of her beloved spirit.

"Die die die die! Die you bitch!!!" She manifested dozens of ice spears and fired them at the woman in black, who deftly backflipped and then vaulted off of a tree trunk.

“I'm sorry your spirit got caught up in all this, but you must understand that he stood in the way of me getting to you.” Elsa jumped out of the firing line of another volley of ice spears, landing in a crouch.

“Die die die die die!!!” Suddenly, a vision appeared to Emilia. Before her, was a little girl who looked just like her, repeating those same words. A furious blizzard raged around the little girl as her feet seemed to be encased in ice.

“Wha-” Emilia stammered.

“You lost your concentration! A fatal mistake.”

Emilia's vision cleared as she saw Elsa hurtling at her at great speed, about to swipe her blade across Emilia's stomach.

 _Oh no! I can't dodge!_ She shut her eyes and braced for the inevitable.

_I'm sorry, Puck._

_“_ Goa.”

Elsa burst into flames as she slammed into Emilia, unable to complete her attack. Emilia fell to the side, lightly singed. When she quickly spun around on all fours to see Elsa, her eyes went wide.

Elsa was on the ground flailing, screaming a high-pitched screech as the flames burned her. She began rolling back and forth in the snow, desperate to put out the magical flames that threatened to consume her.

Emilia jumped to her feet and spun around, to see something unexpected.

Subaru was standing a few meters away, index finger pointed at Elsa.

A Quasi spirit of fire was happily zipping around the hand he was pointing at her with.

“Subaru?” She was dazed.

“Ah, Emilia-tan! It turns out that I have a high affinity with spirits!” He seemed pleased with himself. “This is Igni! She's a fire Quasi-spirit and we made a contract!” Then his face broke into a huge, toothy grin. “We know that Elsa can come back from shadow damage and ice damage, but it looks like fire is her weakness!”

Emilia turned back to look at Elsa, who had gotten back to her feet, but had a wild look in her eyes.

“Mother's Gospel said nothing of this!!!” The look on Elsa's face was incredulous. “Mother doesn't send me after targets that wield fire! She knows what it does to me!”

"Fire, huh?" Emilia knew what she had to do. After all, her ice spells were a form of fire magic. She just used the principle of its temperature-altering abilities to create cold. She didn't use actual fire very much because of the danger inherent to her lack of control.

"I guess there's no need to worry that much about control, in this case, is there?" She mused.

Her vengeance was at hand.

“No...” Elsa's eyes widened, and she took a step backward.

Searching inward, Emilia looked to the vast stores of mana within her and began to channel it through her gate. There was no need for an incantation to give it form.

 _This spell will be raw, unbridled hellfire._ She thought to herself.

Elsa crouched, preparing to flee.

“You won't be able to get away from this.” Emilia's hands began to glow as the spell took shape.

_This is for you, Puck._

Then, Emilia unleashed hell upon Elsa.

***********************************************************************************

The people of the village on the outskirts of Elior forest had borne witness to many strange things over the years. There were odd mabeasts who roamed the woods. There were tales of an elven village that used to be at the heart of the forest before it had been frozen. There was even the half-witch who had lived in the woods, but nobody had seen her up there for some time.

As the villagers had started their day today, a frightening thing had occurred. A great deal of crashing and booming could be heard coming from higher in the mountains. As if some great battle was being waged by beings far beyond their scope.

But it was the grand column of fire, that had sent them all scurrying into their homes to hide and pray to their gods. It was a fire that burned so hot as to be white. Dozens of meters in diameter and hundreds of meters high, it was as if three suns had been added to their sky that day, and for several minutes it persisted.

After they had all retreated to their homes, after their terror had reached its peak, the column had suddenly dissipated. No more sounds of thunderous battle came down from the mountain that day. Whatever the great column of fire was, it had been the deciding moment of a titanic clash.

***********************************************************************************

Emilia dropped to her knees.

The bowel hunter had been completely and irrefutably destroyed.

A single tear slid down her cheek.

Behind her, a boy slowly approached.

“That was amazing, Emilia-tan.” He embraced her from behind, tenderly.

On her knees, she spun around toward him and returned the embrace.

“Higg! Highggg!!!” She couldn't form any words. Too much had happened, far too fast. A flood of tears began to erupt from her amethyst eyes.

“It's ok.” He soothed her. “She's gone.” Tears began to pour from his eyes as well. “You made sure of that.”

She leaned fully into his embrace and gave herself over to sorrow. Clinging tightly to him, she laid all of her pain bare. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, and he cried along with her. Her pain was his pain, and they bore it together.

***********************************************************************************

Some hours later, Subaru watched over her from the chair that had become his makeshift bed. Eyes strained from tear-shed, he supposed he probably looked to be a mess.

Emilia was asleep, dreaming the dreams of someone who had given their all. He'd carried her back to the house after she passed out from a combination of exertion and emotional exhaustion.

 _So much has happened._ He thought to himself. _Did Elsa really kill Emilia and me? If she did that was the second time we both died._

He looked at her, watching the girl sleep.

_This poor girl has been through far too much in her life._

At least, that much was clear.

Glancing at the table near the bed, Subaru looked at the one thing that had survived Emilia's final assault on Elsa. It was a small triangular sigil with a red stone in the center. He had found it in the smoking crater that Emilia's magic had left in its wake.

_She could go back to the mansion?_

_But what would that mean for me if she did?_

He searched his feelings, finding only one conclusion.

_I love her. I love everything about her. From her silver hair to her violet eyes. Her innocent demeanor and her strength of will._

_This must have been what Puck was talking about before he passed. He could sense how I felt about her._

Subaru hadn't even realized it, but he had fallen completely, madly, and hopelessly in love with the girl in front of him.

A small smile graced his face as he started to drift off to sleep.

_Dad, I finally found a girl that I like._


	8. Down the Mountainside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having decided to leave Elior Forest to evade any more assassination attempts, Subaru and Emilia depart. Reinhard gets wind of their situation and decides to intervene.

Chapter 8- Down the Mountainside

Reinhard the Sword Saint had become concerned. He sat leaning back in a chair within the main parlor of the Astrea Estate. Word had reached him that Royal Selection candidate Emilia had been expelled from the Mansion of Roswaal Mathers, who had rescinded his support of her in the Selection. He had sent for word of where she had gone, and so far none of his inquiries had borne fruit.

Additionally, that boy Subaru had been ejected along with her.

 _Neither of them would have had any money, or a way to make a living. This is not a good situation._ Having made up his mind, the Sword Saint stood and strode toward the front exit of the manor. One of his butlers bowed as he passed.

“Have a ground dragon prepared,” he stopped and addressed the servant, “I'll be leaving shortly.”

***********************************************************************************

The half-elf girl and the human boy sat side by side on her bed. Her arms were wrapped around his left one, as she leaned on him with her head on his shoulder. They'd been sitting in silence since she had awakened and asked him to come sit with her.

“Emilia-tan...” he finally broke that silence. “We can't stay here.”

“I know.” Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, “whoever wants me dead knows where we are. They'll come after us again.”

Subaru mentally called to his new fire spirit, Igni.

< _I've come, contractor. >_

_I just wanted to see how you were doing after our first battle._

_ <Igni is well. We only cast a single spell after all. My reserves are not so paltry that something of that level would drain me.>_

_Haha ok, please don't take it as an insult. I just want to make sure that I'm properly looking after you._

_ <Igni is pleased that her contractor has her well being in mind.>_

Turning toward Emilia, who still clung to him, Subaru spoke, “We should get ready to leave. The weather is good and we can be out of the forest by sundown.”

“Ok,” she began, “but there's something I have to do first.”

***********************************************************************************

With her considerable strength, Emilia stuck a large wooden plank into the ground. They were at the side of the house, where Puck had spoken his last. She'd asked Subaru to request that his spirit burn a phrase into the plank, as a marker. She would do it herself, but she lacked the control.

It read:

_On this spot, the Great Spirit of Fire, Puck, gave his life to save a Half-Elf Girl and a Human Boy. He was a beloved Father, Companion, and Teacher._

They stood for a few moments looking at the monument. They had already packed everything that could be useful on their journey, including food, blankets, and of course, Emilia's sigil.

The two looked at each other, and in silence, turned and began walking.

Subaru wanted to think that this trip wouldn't be as miserable as their last one.

Then he thought, _who am I kidding? This is even worse._

***********************************************************************************

Reinhard rode up to the front of Margrave Mathers' mansion. It had been some time since he'd been here. Typically if a problem arose in this domain, the Margrave himself dealt with it. He was the most powerful magic-user in the country, after all. Reinhard had heard that just a few days past the Lord of the Domain had quelled a mabeast attack on the village that lay not far from his mansion.

Leaving his ground dragon's reins tied to the fence at the stable, he approached the front door and knocked. As the door opened, he found twin maids bowing in front of him. One had pink hair, the other blue.

“It is good to see you again, honored Sword Saint.” The pink-haired one said as they both straightened. “What can these humble maids do for you today?”

“Ram, was it? It's good to see you again.” He offered a courtly bow to the twin beauties, “I apologize for coming here unannounced, but I'm pursuing a matter of the gravest urgency. Might your master be in?”

“Roswaal-sama is in his study.” Ram was the one who spoke, “I shall let him know that you wish to speak with him.”

Stepping into the foyer, Reinhard turned to the blue-haired girl who remained with him.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure, miss," he smiled at her, "my name is Reinhard Van Astrea, a knight of this kingdom."

“I am Rem, a maid in the service of Margrave Mathers,” she bowed once again, “it is a pleasure, Reinhard-sama.” She did not return his smile.

“To what do I oooooowe this visit, Van Astrea-sama?” At the top of the stairs stood Ram, and a man wearing a purple suit.

***********************************************************************************

“You're not wearing your usual makeup,” Reinhard observed as they were seated in a parlor.

“Forgive me, I dooooo not currently feel that my usual proclivities are necessary.” The Margrave sat straight, holding a teacup full of black tea that the maid Rem had brought.”

“I'm looking for someone, and I need your help,” Reinhard cut to the heart of the matter, “do you know where the Candidate Emilia and the boy Subaru might have gone after they...left this residence?”

“Most likely Elior Forest, which is where I fooooound her.” Face unchanging, the man replied nonchalantly.

“I see, the frozen forest,” Reinhard was in thought, “Margrave, why did you eject them from here? That behavior seems very rash, and from what I know of you that seems rather out of character.”

“Because the Elf is no longer of use to me if she doesn't have the sigil.” Bluntly, Roswaal replied, “do you expect me to house and feed a girl who proved that she has no redeeming qualities, and was so irresponsible to even lose something as important as a sigil of the Royal Selection?”

Shocked by his bluntness, Reinhard's eyes went wide. “Surely you could have come to an agreement where the two of them could have at least prepared for the journey back to her home?”

“I care not if the whelp faces death, along with the boy. Her failure is absolute, so shall be her treatment.” Roswaal's face held no emotion, “now, if that is all I'm sure you know that I'm a very busy man. My maids will see you out.”

Standing, the Margrave made his way out of the room. Reinhard sat, shocked, at the words the man had said.

 _She's still a candidate,_ he thought, _and there's a chance that the sigil can be recovered._

The possible future Queen of Lugunica had been abandoned to fate. This would not do.

“Reinhard-sama, please follow me,” the blue-haired girl beckoned him, “it is time you were on your way.”

***********************************************************************************

Trudging through the snow, which was about three feet deep, a pair of travelers were making their way down a mountain.

“Emilia, I have an idea,” Subaru said to her as he walked in front of her. “You can practice controlling your fire magic and make walking easier for us at the same time.”

"What is it?" She looked curious.

_This is the first sign of life she's shown since..._

He shook his head to clear it, “try using fire to melt the snow in front of us as we walk. As long as you're in front, it shouldn't matter if it goes a little wild.”

She put her finger to her mouth and thought for a second, “Yeah, I can try.”

She trudged around in front of him, pointed her palms forward toward the snow, and closed her eyes. A stream of flames appeared before her, melting the snow for a good three feet ahead of where her feet stood. Walking forward, she continued to emit flames toward the ground as the snow in front of her disappeared in a cloud of steam.

“It's working!” She sounded excited, “let's go!”

Every once in a while the intensity of the flames would increase, or the trajectory of them would widen, but the only consequence was that more snow would be melted. They were making good time now, walking at a normal speed since they no longer had to trudge through deep snow to make progress.

Suddenly, they heard a roar.

Spinning around they saw a beast approaching from behind them. To Subaru's eyes, it looked like a bear, only about 50 percent larger than the grizzlies of his homeworld. This particular specimen also had a horn on top of its head, making it a mabeast.

_Igni!_

_ <Igni is here.>_

The red Quasi-spirit appeared before Subaru. He pointed his right index finger at the approaching beast.

_Let's use a little more juice than we did last time!_

“El Goa!!!”

A raging flame burst forth from his outstretched hand, speeding toward the beast and engulfing it.”

"RRAAAHHHGGGG," the bear-like creature thrashed about as its hide and flesh were scorched mercilessly. This continued for the span of around ten seconds when the flames finally ceased burning the beast.

“Shit, it's tough!!” Subaru prepared to run as the murderous gaze of the injured mabeast sought the one who had caused it so much pain.

“Allow me,” a voice like a silver bell appeared beside him. Stretching her hand forward, Emilia concentrated.

A few blooms of ice appeared on the creature, and it stopped to sniff one that had appeared on the back of its forepaw.

SHUNK-SPLISH

The beast disappeared in a red mist, as the blooms suddenly expanded at an astonishing speed.

Mouth agape, Subaru turned to Emilia, “Why didn't you use that against Elsa?”

“I didn't know I could do it,” she replied with a small smile, “I'm starting to remember things like certain abilities I have. Little by little they're coming back.”

“Well remind me to never piss you off!” He rubbed the top of his head with an errant hand and grinned.

“Dummy.” She replied, “I would never turn my magic against you!” Her face adopted a pout as she spun around.

“Hey I know that, and I feel the same way,” he said, “I was just joking!”

"Well, it was a crappy joke!" She began melting snow again.

“Don't use words like 'crappy!'” He was mildly disappointed, “you're too ladylike to talk like that!”

"Crappy crappy crappy!" She yelled as she continued to melt them a path. "Poop! Doo-doo!"

“Emilia!” Once again his mouth was wide open.

“Poopy pants!” She yelled.

Suddenly Subaru burst out laughing at her tirade, and she followed suit.

_This is good. Her spirits are starting to lift. She should be back to herself soon._

The boy with the black hair and the girl with the silver hair laughed as they made their way down the mountain.

***********************************************************************************

Arriving at the village at the edge of Elior Forest, Reinhard sought out the stables.

“Please watch over my ground dragon and keep her warm. She's not well suited to this cold landscape.” He flipped a coin to the stable-hand.

“You're a knight, aincha, mister?” The man seemed genuinely impressed, “if you're planning ta go up the mountain I'd advise ya ta avoid it.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Reinhard stopped and turned back to the old man.

"Yesterday morning the was a whole lotta crashin' and boomin' comin' from up on the mountainside," the old man told him, "then there was this huge column of flame that was white-hot that went on fer several minutes. After that, all was quiet again. Some kinda big battle was bein' fought up there."

Reinhard turned to look at the mountain, then looked at the position of the sun. It would start to get dark soon.

“I appreciate your concern,” he told the stable-hand, “but it is a knight's duty to investigate matters such as this.

With that, the red-haired young man took the path at the edge of the village that spiraled up the mountain.

_Emilia-sama, Subaru, I hope you are well._

_**********************************************************************************_

Having made it most of the way down the mountain, the half-elf and the boy had walked for quite a while with a comfortable silence. She was still doing the flamethrower act to clear them a path in the snow.

“So,” she began, “where should we go once we get out of the forest?”

“I was thinking the capital might be a good place,” he had been thinking about this since they left, “you didn't seem to face any harassment there, you know, because of the ears and all.”

_He was thinking of me when he decided that?_

A warm feeling rose in her chest, one that she was unfamiliar with.

“Y-yes! That does sound like a good idea!” She stammered out, “most of these small villages try to drive me away, and in the worst cases do things like throw rocks at me.”

Subaru frowned, thinking of the incident that may or may not have happened at Arlam village.

_Those villagers hated her so much they were willing to kill us, and in her case, it was a gruesome way to go._

He shuddered at the memory, wondering if it was real.

“I was thinking,” he said, “between the two of us we could find a couple of low-level jobs and maybe rent a place to live when we get to the capital.”

The circumstances of their flight to Elior forest, and decision to live there together had been one of desperation and necessity.

Emilia suddenly realized that this was no longer the case, as her face turned beet red.

“B-baka!!!” She yelled.

“Huh?” Subaru wasn't sure what he had said that had her so wound up.

“A boy and a girl! Living together like that!” The pitch of her voice was sky-high, “just what are your intentions!?”

“Uh, but we were living together in your old house for the last few days?” He leaned around to see her face as they walked.

Steam was coming off of the top of her head, “That was different! We didn't have a choice!”

"Well, I'm mostly considering the money situation," he said, somehow still calm, "we aren't exactly going to be rolling in dough, you know."

"Hmph!" Emilia continued walking, not quite ready to have this conversation.

“SO, I FOUND YOU.” a booming voice erupted from behind the pair.

Spinning once again to assess this new threat, the couple looked to the sky in horror.

A black dragon flew toward them, and landed on the ground, making the earth around it shake. As the pair looked on, the huge creature began to morph, becoming smaller and smaller.

Before them now stood a young girl with short blonde hair, red eyes, and a ridiculous outfit.

“You were so easy to track down it was laughable,” the girl said in a grating high-pitched voice. “I just had to follow your tracks in the snow. So, can I assume that Elsa is dead?”

“She is,” Emilia angrily replied to the girl, “and I killed her. Are you the one who sent her?”

"I am," a terrifying smile appeared on the girl's face, "and it looks like I have to finish the job myself." The girl gave a slight bow, "Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult, representing Lust, I am Capella Emerada Lugunica."

Capella then stood straight.

“I have come for your head, Candidate Emilia.”


	9. Capella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle against Lust begins!

Chapter 9- Capella

Subaru and Emilia stood together, anger on both their faces.

"Capella!!!" Emilia's fury began to boil to the surface, "You sent the assassin that killed my Great Spirit, Puck! He was like a father to me!"

"And like a good father, he preceded his child in death." Pointing a palm toward the couple, Capella smile evilly. "Let's not drag this out."

Her arm turned into a tentacle as it shot toward Emilia, who lept out of the way before she was skewered. Capella then swung the tentacle to her left, bashing Subaru with it as he attempted to flee.

“Gackh!” He was knocked from where he had been standing, landing in the snow several meters away.

“Subaru!!!” Emilia called to him from where she had landed.

Staggering to his feet, he conjured his spirit.

_Igni are you there?_

_ <Igni is here.>_

Once again the little red Quasi-spirit appeared before him. “Let's see if she's weak to fire like Elsa!”

"El Goa!" He couldn't afford to start with the small spells and went straight to his biggest gun.

A fireball slammed into Capella's left side and she disappeared into the inferno.

“Did you get her?” Emilia landed next to him.

“Fire!?” The screechy voice came from within the blaze, “I'm a dragon and you want to try to hurt me with FIRE?” As the blaze waned, Capella stepped forward, unmarred.

“Shit.” Subaru only had one other option. “I might as well try it! Minya!” Feeling his mana drain, a flaming purple spear flew at Capella, slamming into her midsection.

"Hmmm." She looked down at it, embedded in her stomach as the crystallization started to spread. "Can't have that." She reached down with a hand and yanked the spear out, crystallized pieces of her and all, tossing it aside, the hand that had grabbed it came off the end of her arms, as it had crystallized as well. The hole in her midsection rapidly filled in, and a new hand appeared at the end of her arm.

She turned to Subaru, “You've got some pretty neat tricks! Why don't you come work for me? You would come to _LOVE_ me in time! Plus, I'll need to replace Elsa sooner or later. I can teach you all kinds of other tricks!”

“No way I'm gonna work for a weirdo that dresses like you!” He shouted back at her, “besides! You're after my Emilia-tan and I can't abide by that!”

“YOUR Emilia-tan!?” Emilia turned toward him, glowing red again, “since when am I YOUR Emilia-tan!?”

“Where did this tsun side of you come from?” He turned to the half-elf, “you were a cinnamon roll before but now you're a spicy hot pepper!”

“Don't call me that! I hate peppels!”

“You hate what!?”

“Excuse me.” Capella was standing with her arms crossed, waiting for them to stop arguing, “can we get on with this? If you're not gonna work for me I'll just kill you too, but the elf has to die either way.”

“Why!? Who sent you?” Subaru turned back to yell at Capella.

Smiling, Capella produced a black book. “This is why the elf has to die,” opening the unremarkable tome, she flipped through the pages, “the gospel commands it.”

“A gospel!” Emilia gasped, “I've heard of those, it's the proof that one is a member of the Witch Cult! Each of them has one!”

“This Witch Cult has been a pretty big thorn in our side already,” Subaru thought of the incident at the village, “just what's the deal with them, anyway?”

***********************************************************************************

The sun was half-disappeared over the horizon when Reinhard entered the forest proper. He couldn't move through it too quickly, or he might miss signs of where the two people he sought had gone. It should be simple to find their tracks in this snow, but this was a very large forest. This was a literal needle in a haystack situation.

 _The stable-hand spoke of a battle yesterday morning, h_ e thought to himself as he made his way up the mountain, _it sounds like powerful forces were clashing high up in the forest._

_I hope I find them before something else does._

_**********************************************************************************_

_“_ Huma!” Emilia fired a volley of ice spikes at Capella, which passed through her body and exploded behind her.

“Nuisance,” Capella was growing tired of toying with them. “I suppose it's time for me to get a little more serious."

Growing three more tentacles, one from her other arms and two out of her back, she went after Emilia with them. To her credit, Emilia was doing an excellent job of dodging them, proceeding to back-flip through some and jump over others.

"It seems that you learned some tricks from Elsa," Capella said.

Then another evil sneer came upon the Archbishop's face.

“You might be able to dodge like her,” then she turned toward Subaru, “but he can't.” Another tentacle shot out toward him.

Diving to the side to avoid it, Subaru landed prone and began to scramble away.

“Not this time!” Capella swung the same tentacle in the opposite direction, catching him hard in the chest.

“Bwoof!” Subaru could feel several of his ribs break from the attack, and he bounced hard against the ground banging the back of his head. Sitting up, his vision was fuzzy and he found himself too dizzy to stand when he attempted it.

Suddenly, he was kicked in the chest, breaking more ribs. He found himself laying on his back, with Capella's foot planted on his midsection.

“SUBARU!” Emilia flew toward them.

Icey blooms began to appear all over Capella, “Hmm? What's this?”

SHIINK!!

The blooms grew at lightning speed, just like they had with the mabeast earlier. They tore Capella to shreds, sending pieces of her across several meters.

Running up to Subaru, Emilia dropped to her knees.

“Are you ok!?” She cast a healing spell as she searched him for injuries.

“I don't think it's that bad,” he looked up at her as he lay on his back. “I hit my head pretty hard, though. I think she broke some of my ribs, too.” He sighed as he could feel the effect of her healing magic knitting together his injured ribcage, and the pain in his head began to subside.

“Oh thank the Od Luguna!” She was relieved that it looked like he would be ok.

“You got her good, Emilia-tan.” He looked up at her pretty face, “I'm proud of you.”

Emilia's face turned red once again, and she turned her gaze to the side. “Dummy.”

“You never answered me when I asked you where this tsun side of you came from,” now he was ready to tease her, “but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. It's my favorite heroine archetype!”

“I don't know what half of those words mean, just be quiet while I heal you.”

She still refused to meet his gaze.

“You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?”

Both of them turned, horrified, to the source of the shrieky voice.

She stood behind where Emilia had kneeled, almost completely reformed.

Capella.

Before Emilia could react, Capella pointed her hand once again and shot out a tentacle. It penetrated Emilia's back, whose eyes shot wide in surprise.

A large spray of blood covered Subaru, who bolted to a sitting position.

“EMILIA!!!” He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around so she could lay in his lap.

“Su..ba..ru..” Weakly she reached up to touch his face.

“Tha..nk. Y...ou.”

The hand fell limp in the snow.

She was gone.

“NOOOOO!” He shook her, tears welling up n his eyes.

“EMILIA!!! EMILIA!!!”

He kept shaking her, but her arms and neck had gone limp, flopping as he tried to rouse her.

“I told Puck I would protect you! YOU CAN'T GO!!!”

Sobbing, he had lost all hope.

Suddenly, it seemed like her body was growing larger.

 _No,_ he panicked, _I'm shrinking!_

Looking up, a gigantic Capella walked up to him. “How cruel to become a toad when you're laying in snow like this. Toads can't handle snow very well.”

He couldn't move, his body now too cold to be able to function. Capella lifted a foot, preparing to crush him.

Seeing a flash of color, Subaru looked with his toad eyes to see a red-headed knight coming toward them at incredible speed.

_Too late, Reinhard. We're done for._

Capella stomped.

***********************************************************************************

Subaru gasped, in front of him was the back of a head of silver hair, the hissing sound of flames melting snow could be heard. Looking around, he checked how high the sun is. It was about to touch the horizon.

_This means that I was right! I've been dying and going back in time! It's like a savepoint!_

“Emilia!” He yelled for her attention.

 _“_ Huh? She stopped shooting flames and turned around.

 _“_ We have to hide! A Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult is coming to kill us!” He was frantic, “we don't have much time, Reinhard is on his way but we have to stay alive until he gets here!”

“Whaaaaaat?” her brows were furrowed now, as she turned to him. “How do you know that?”

 _“_ Because I've di-”

Suddenly, the world grew dark, and Subaru couldn't move.

 _“_ You can't tell anyone...” The shape of a woman surrounded by shadow appeared before him. Two long arms with claws at the end reached toward his chest.

_What the hell is going on!?_

The hands passed through his chest as if they were intangible.

Then his heart felt like it was going to explode.

"It's our secret," the shadow whispered to him.

As quickly as it had appeared, the woman and the shadows vanished, leaving him grabbing his chest and falling to his knees.

“Subaru!” Emilia was with him in an instant, “what's wrong!?”

“Agh...” The pain had subsided. “I'm alive? Holy shit what was that?”

Looking up, he saw a very worried Emilia, with the beginning of tears forming in her eyes.

_No time to worry about that right now._

“Emilia-tan, we have to hide. She's coming. She'll be here soon.” He looked around at the snow that surrounded him. “But she'll just follow our trail if we leave tracks in the snow.”

“A Sin Archbishop? Why?” Emilia was confused, rightfully so.

“She's the one that sent Elsa. It's Capella, the Bishop of Lust.” He told her, “Do you know of a way that we can find a hiding spot without leaving tracks?”

“Um,” she thought for a few seconds, “there was a Yin magic spell that allows you to float, we could use it to float over the snow and leave no tracks!”

“Perfect! Do you know what it was called? Do you know how to cast it? Can you tell me?”

She thought for a few seconds, “You'll want to visualize becoming weightless,” eyes closed she tried to recall the incantation.

“Murak!!!” Her eyes opened, “that's it!!!”

“Ok,” he closed his eyes and visualized become weightless, as he did so he felt her grab his hand. “Murak.”

Opening his eyes, he looked down to see that the two of them were floating a couple of inches off the ground. Searching, he spotted a cluster of thick trees and bushes a few dozen yards away.

_There!_

Kicking his feet and keeping hold of Emilia's hand he launched them toward the thicket.

_Please get there in time, please get there in time!_

As they got within a few feet of cover, he could hear the beating of huge wings.

_Shit!!!_

As they floated over the bushes at the edge, he cut off the flow of mana to cancel the spell. They crashed into the middle of the bushes, prone in the snow. Raising to a crouched position, they peered at the spot they had just vacated.

Right where they had just been, a large black dragon landed, shaking the earth. It looked around, unsure of where they had gone. Walking in circles around the end of the trail, it began searching for them.

“WHERE HAVE YOU GOOOONE TOOOO?” The sickening voice of the girl was amplified when she was in dragon form. “YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME!”

Ducking lower, Subaru whispered to Emilia. “If things go south, fire a big flame spell into the sky. That will let Reinhard know where we are and he can come more quickly. She's immune to all of the forms of magic that the two of us can cast, so we need Reinhard to take her down.”

“Ok.” She nodded, understanding.

The dragon returned to the end of their trail once again, and with its long snout began sniffing. It spent a few seconds gauging their scent, then sniffed around the area in their direction. It came slowly their way, following the scent they had left in the air.

“Shit!” Subaru whispered.

As it came within about twenty feet, it stopped and smiled with huge fangs showing.

“I know you're in there, half-elf.” This time it wasn't yelling, “am I going to have to burn everything in there with my flame breath, or will you come out?”

Emilia looked at Subaru.

“She might not know you're here,” she whispered to him, “stay here, and be quiet, I'll take her on.”

“Emilia, no!”

“Well then at least stay here until I get into trouble!” she hissed back to him.

“....fine.”

 _Even with spirit-arts, I'm still useless, for fuck's sake._ He thought to himself.

“I'm gonna count to three! Then comes the fire!” The dragon watched the thicket where they hid.

“One!”

“Two!”

“Thr-”

"I'M COMING OUT!!!" Emilia stepped out of the bushes and walked to within ten feet of the behemoth.

The dragon slowly lowered its face to be at Emilia's height.

"So..." it began, "did you kill Elsa?"

“I did,” Emilia replied with a fearless look, “and I enjoyed it. She killed my Great Spirit, who raised me.”

“I see. I'm impressed, you beat my best assassin.” Then the dragon smiled again, “did you use fire magic? The Gospel only told me that you and the cat possessed the ability to create ice. Now that I think about it, it never said you were incapable of creating fire.”

“I can use both ice and fire.” Still standing defiantly, she replied.

 _Damn, she has guts._ Subaru thought to himself.

Suddenly and swiftly, the dragon moved its fore-paw and grabbed Emilia, slamming her to the ground.

“Agh!” she was dazed after hitting her head when the dragon slammed her down.

“Emilia!!!” Subaru emerged from his hiding spot, “El Goa!!!”

A medium-sized fireball slammed into Capella's face, distracting her long enough for Subaru to try ramming into the massive arm that held down Emilia. It wouldn't budge, however.

"Ah, I suspected another insect was hiding with you. It seemed like there were two scents."

Using its other free hand, it swiped at Subaru's legs, taking off his right foot below the ankle.

“AAAaahhhhHHHH!” Falling on his back, Subaru screamed at the sudden pain in his leg.

“SUBARU!!!” Shrieking with tears in her eyes, yet still pinned by the massive arm, she yelled to him, trying to reach out to him. Then she seemed to remember something.

Trying to concentrate, Emilia sent a massive amount of flames up into the sky as she lay on her back under the dragon's paw.

"What was that all about?" The dragon looked back at the girl on the ground for a second, then refocused its attention on the boy.

As Subaru lay there screaming, the dragon began to change form again like it had last time. The blonde girl once again stood over him, with a look of glee on her face.

"I have a special treat for this one!" Her right arm was still in dragon form, pinning Emilia on her back. She raised her left hand, and with sharp fingernails dug into the flesh of her palm, "have some cursed dragon's blood!"

A steady flow of blood began to pour from her hand, which she dripped on the gnarled stump where Subaru's foot had been. The pain coming from his leg increased substantially as she did this.

“GAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

_Agonyagonyagonyagonyagonyagony!!!_

He felt that his mind might break, the pain was too severe.

_It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It Hurts!_

_It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!It Hurts!_

“SUBARUUUUUUUUU!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!” Emilia cried out for him, her heart breaking as she watched him lose his mind to this awful torture.

Suddenly, the torturer yelped as she, dragon arm and all, was blasted aside, rolling and bouncing in the snow.

Subaru lay on the ground, spasming in agony.

“Emilia-sama, please take him a safe distance away from here and begin healing him. This foe is one that I can handle.”

Emilia scrambled to her feet and quickly scooped up Subaru, sprinting away with him.

“Thank you, Sir Reinhard!!!” She quickly retreated with the gravely injured boy.

Watching them for a few seconds as they made their escape, Reinhard turned to regard the cultist in front of him.

“Who are you?” She spat at him, “you were not noted in the Gospel, and neither was that boy!”

“Reinhard Van Astrea, at your service,” normally, he would bow, but this was not a chivalrous opponent so he decided to forgo that act.

“Van Astrea? The Sword Saint?” her eyebrows perked up as she said this, “I suppose I shouldn't take you lightly.” She began to transform back into her dragon form.

“You won't take me at all, this will be over quickly.” He looked down at the sword which hung sheathed on his left hip, “Dragon Sword Reid, will you allow me to let you face this foe?”

As he pulled with his right hand, the sword emerged from its sheathe.

Reinhard smiled. And pointed the sword toward the sky.

A maelstrom of mana began to form around the knight's sword, as it began to glow pure white.

“What the hell is this?” Capella took a slow step back, showing the first inkling of fear.

“You will not escape, cultist. This is your end.”

Several hundred yards away, Emilia had laid Subaru with his back leaning against a rock wall. She was using healing magic on the stump where a foot had once been.

She was also crying.

"Subaru...I'm sorry....this happened because you were with me. You'll never get your foot back because of me. She tortured you because of me!"

He couldn't hear her, as there was a roaring sound in his ears. But he could see well enough. He could see enough to watch Reinhard discharge a billion watts of mana into Capella's face, disintegrating her.

Subaru smiled.

Then, something suddenly impacted him. An invisible thing, which he felt latch onto his very soul, settling in his chest.

_What was that?_

Finally, due to the pain in his leg, and the pain in his soul, he allowed his consciousness to drift away.

***********************************************************************************

At the bottom of the mountain, in the village, an old stable-hand was making his way toward his home. It was about to turn dark, and he was ready for a hot dinner.

Suddenly, a huge blast of fire erupted skyward on the slope of the mountain.

“God-damn, again!?”

He stood there for a moment, pondering what he's just seen.

As he watched, a white light began to glow in the same area. It suddenly exploded and lit up the entire sky, and for a few seconds it was as light as mid-day.

“That does it!”

As he entered his home, his wife was setting his dinner on the table.

“Ethel!” he said. “I'm gonna retire and we're moving to your sister's village!”

As he plopped down on the chair in front of his plate, he waved his arms in the air.

“This place has gone plumb to hell!”


	10. Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the battle with Capella. Subaru has a new power, but what can it do?

Chapter Ten- Lust

Slowly, Subaru's eyes opened. He was laying on his back, with something soft under him.

Sitting up, he noticed that he was in a bedroom adorned with expensive-looking décor. He was in a large bed, in the corner of the room.

He looked down to find a beautiful half-elf sitting in a chair, leaned forward asleep next to him. Also, she was holding his left hand tightly.

“Emilia.” He spoke softly.

Her long eyelashes fluttered open, and she looked up at him.

“Subaru!!!” She crashed into him, squeezing him with an embrace that was just a little too enthusiastic.

“Too tight Emilia-tan!!! Too tight!!!” He croaked out.

She released him and grabbed his shoulders. "Do you feel any pain!? Are you ok!?"

“Nothing hurts right now,” he gave her a small smile, “how about you?”

"I'm fine," she said, "I wasn't hurt at all, thanks to Reinhard showing up." Then a single tear slid down her lovely face. "But you got hurt because of me! Those assassins have been after me this whole time and you keep getting caught in the crossfire and getting hurt! It's because of me!"

“It's ok, Emilia. Look, we made it through just fine,” he tried to comfort her.

“No, remember? Your foot...” she glanced to where his right leg was under the blanket.

_Oh yeah, I can't believe I forgot about that._

He reached down to uncover his legs, prepared for the sight of one left foot and one bandaged stump.

What reached his eyes was one left foot and one right foot.

_Huh!?_

The right foot was black. As black as a moonless night.

“Why do I still have a right foot? It was blown away by Capella's claws!” The look on his face was stupefied.

“It grew back.” She whispered.

He turned to look at her.

“What?”

“While you slept it grew back, your whole leg is black like that up to your knee.” She turned to look at him as she spoke. “Reinhard thinks it has something to do with the blood that Capella dripped onto your wound. Does it hurt?”

"No, not at all." He reached down and pinched the skin of his newly grown foot, which felt normal. He could even feel the pinch with his foot, just like always. "This is weird as hell, but I'm not gonna complain. It's great that it grew back, not like I would be thanking Capella or anything."

"Subaru..." she looked at him again, "I think we should probably not be friends anymore..."

“What!?” His gaze snapped back to her.

“You got hurt because of me. It would seem that my participation in the Royal Selection has garnered the attention of the Witch Cult,” tears were openly flowing down her face now, “things are going to be dangerous moving forward. I can't keep putting you in danger.”

"No." He said, voice firm, "I refuse. I want to be by your side every step of the way. I want to see this through to the end."

She shook her head, silver hair flowing back and forth as she did so. “We got lucky this time, you were hurt really badly and somehow you got fixed, but I can't let that happen again.” She stood up, standing next to his bed.

“I love you.”

Her eyes flew wide open, as he said these words.

“It's true. I'm totally, madly, and deeply in love with you. I want to stand by your side. I want to be your strength.” He was looking her in the eyes.

Both of her hands flew to her mouth, as a fresh batch of tears began to flow. "That can't be true! Don't you understand? I'm a half-elf! A silver-haired half-elf! Nobody can love me!"

 _How can I make her understand?_ He frantically thought to himself.

“I don't care if you're an elf, a half-elf, or a damn lizard. I love you.” Subaru could feel a buzzing sensation build up in his chest. An unfamiliar, strange warmth began to grow. “If putting my life on the line is part of the deal, as long as I get to be near you then I can accept that.”

At this point, he wanted to be with her, and to make her understand.

But that wasn't the only thing he wanted.

He wanted her affection in return.

_I want her to love me, too._

Inside Subaru's head, it felt like a switch flipped.

He could feel something invisible expand outward from him.

He looked down at himself, unsure of what just happened. While his attention was momentarily back on himself, he felt arms wrap around him.

“ _Subaruuuu.”_

“Eh!?”

 _“Do you reeeealy love me?_ Her voice was husky now, he'd never heard her talk like this.

 _“_ Yeah, Emilia-tan, I do!” His reply was somewhat frantic.

“ _Well then that changes everything_ ,” she whispered straight into his ear.

_Too much dere! Too much dere! What the hell happened!?_

He felt the switch flip in his mind once again. Emilia froze, then leaned back.

"Uh..." her face went beet red, "Sorry! I don't know what came over me!"

“Ahem!”

From the doorway, the pair could hear someone clear their throat, and they both turned to see where the sound came from.

 _“_ Emilia-sama, how fares Subaru?" Reinhard approached the side of the bed, voicing his concern for the black-haired boy.

"He seems to be in good shape. His foot even grew back!" Emilia, flushed, replied to the knight in a flustered voice.

“Such an odd thing. Surely it is connected to the dragon blood that the Archbishop foisted upon your wound,” the red-haired man placed a hand on his chin, in thought.

 _That's not the only odd thing that's happened since I woke up._ Subaru thought back to when Emilia had suddenly turned into a dere-dere lioness.

"EMT..." he muttered.

“Hmm?” Emilia turned back to him.

“It's nothing.” Turning to get out of the bed, Subaru stood up. He hopped up and down a few times, testing his new foot. “Everything seems to be in order!”

Reinhard smiled, “Good to know. Lunch will be ready soon, Emilia-sama, why don't we let Subaru get changed? I'll send Josephina to fetch him when it's ready.”

“Josephina?” Subaru queried.

"One of our maids," Reinhard said.

“Welcome to the Astrea Estate, Natsuki Subaru.”

***********************************************************************************

After he'd gotten changed back into his track-suit, Subaru heard a soft knock at the door.

“Subaru-sama? Can I come in?” A soft feminine voice called from the other side of the door.

“Yeah! Come on in!” He replied.

A pretty girl with long green hair entered, wearing a maid outfit. She turned and bowed to him.

“Greetings, Subaru-sama. My name is Josephina. I serve the Astrea household as a maid.”

“Ah! No need for the 'sama.' Please just call me Subaru.” He waved off the formalities.

“As you wish,” she stood up straight, “I have been sent to fetch you for lunch. Reinhard-sama desires your presence.”

He followed her out into the hallway, walking at a brisk pace.

_Just what was that weird thing that happened earlier with Emilia-tan?_

As he walked, he pondered.

 _Capella had said she was the Archbishop of Lust._ He continued to think as he walked. _And I felt something be absorbed into me when she died. Does that mean I 'collected' her power?_

No, there had to be something else to it. She hadn't demonstrated the ability to have _that_ effect on a target.

_If I did absorb it, did it change to suit my desires? When I felt it activate, the strongest feeling I had at the time was wanting Emilia to love me back._

_I need to perform a test._

“Josephina, can I have your opinion on something?” He stopped and asked the maid a question.

“Of course,” she also stopped and turned toward him.

Searching his mind, Subaru found the switch, and flipped it.

“What do you think of my track-suit? Isn't it cool?” He asked her with a grin.

Josephina's hand flew to her mouth and her eyes went wide. “Subaru-samaaaa,” she cooed, “you look...amazing,” she stepped toward him, reaching out, “I hadn't realized how handsome you are.”

“Handsome, huh?” He flipped the switch once again.

The maid stopped, face turning red. “Forgive me! W-w-we should not keep the others waiting!” She turned and swiftly continued walking down the hallway.

 _This could be a dangerous ability, the power of Lust._ Subaru had trouble stifling his grin.

 _It would be immoral for me to use this on Emilia-tan. So I'll decide right now, I'll get her to fall in love with me the old-fashioned way._ He was determined when it came to that.

_But it's possible I could use it in other ways. Negotiations, perhaps._

_But it needs a name._

He thought for a few seconds as they walked.

Then he decided.

_I'll figure out what to call it.  
_

A shit-eating grin appeared on his face, as he walked he was immersed in thought.

_I wonder if it works on dudes?_

***********************************************************************************

Reinhard and Emilia were seated at a large dining table when Subaru and the maid walked in.

“Please have a seat, Subaru-kun!” Reinhard was at the end of the table, Emilia sat at the corner to his right. Subaru walked over and sat in the chair on Reinhard's left, opposite Emilia.

He looked over at Emilia, who blushed.

“Ahem!” She averted her gaze.

“I-I will go help the kitchen staff!” Josephina quickly turned and exited the room.

Noticing the actions of the two girls, Reinhard turned to look at Subaru with an eyebrow cocked.

"I, uh," Subaru began, looking down at the plate of food in front of him, "seem to have acquired an ability without realizing it."

"Oh?" Reinhard stopped eating and leaned forward with interest. "And what might that be?"

Emilia was now looking at Subaru with interest as well, her embarrassment forgotten for the moment.

“I think...that I inherited Capella's power,” Subaru stated flatly.

Gasping, Reinhard and Emilia both leaned back slightly.

“A Witch Factor...” Reinhard almost whispered, “not much is known about the Witch Cult, but one thing we do know is that their Archbishops all have strange powers that come from something called a Witch Factor. These Witch Factors power those abilities, which are called Authorities.”

He continued, “Authorities are thought to be something like the opposite of a divine blessing, falling outside of the jurisdiction of the Od Laguna. The wielders of the Authorities are almost always driven mad upon gaining them.”

Reinhard looked Subaru up and down, a look of concern on his face.

“But you seem quite sane,” he finally admitted.

“Subaru do you feel ok!? Do you feel like you're going looney or anything?” Emilia voiced her concern for him as well.

“Nobody says 'looney' nowadays, Emilia-tan.” He smiled at her, satisfied that their usual banter had returned, “I feel just fine, in fact.”

Satisfied, she leaned back forward, “Then if you have one of these 'Witch Factors,' what kind of power did it give you?”

Both of his companions looked at him expectantly.

“Heh heh heh...” he stammered, “promise you won't get mad, Emilia-tan?” He looked at her sheepishly, “I didn't choose the form it took.”

Her eyes narrowed, “I'll make no such promise, because promises are super important to spirit-arts users, and I don't want to risk breaking one.”

"Well, it seems that when I activate this power it makes either the person or people in front of me have a sudden, intense desire!" he blurted out.

“Desire?” She questioned.

“Emilia, it's the Witch Factor of Lust,” he said matter-of-factly, “you know, Lust?”

“Lust?” Her eyes went up in thought.

“Lust...” Reinhard's eyes went wide as he understood the nature of the power.

“Lust...” Emilia was thinking, then suddenly turned beet red once again.

“SUBARU B-BAKA!!!” She stood up and slammed her palms on the table, “DUMMY! DUNDERHEAD! THAT'S WHAT MADE ME ACT LIKE THAT EARLIER!!”

“I'M SORRY EMILIA-TAN!!!” Subaru ran around the table and landed on his knees, bowing in front of her, “Please forgive me! I've vowed never to use that power on you again! It was an accident! I didn't activate it on purpose!”

Calming somewhat, she looked down at him.

“So, you weren't trying to use that power to make me do something perverted?” Her eyes were still narrow, and there was a pout upon her face.

“No! I didn't know that was going to happen! I've sealed it in your presence!” He continued to bow on the floor.

“Subaru,” Reinhard queried, “did you use that nasty power on my maid?”

“Hick!” Subaru's breath caught in his throat, as he stood and bowed to Reinhard, “forgive me, I felt like I needed to test the nature of this ability.”

“Subaru!!!” Emilia blurted at him, “how could you do that!?”

"I didn't know if it was a fluke or not! I only used it for a few seconds!" Feeling like an ant, he whirled to Emilia, "I promise not to use it on you," his voice turned serious, "and I've decided to give it a name."

“You named it?” Reinhard asked.

“I just came up with it. Just now.” Subaru made a fist and nodded.

"I'm going to call it..." Reinhard and Emilia listened with bated breath.

“『Handsome Husbando』. “

“BAKA!!!”


	11. The Advent of the Emilia Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their Archbishop problems behind them for now, Subaru and Emilia turn their attention on preparing for the Royal Selection. Also, a certain person begins to consider their feelings.

Chapter 11- The Advent of the Emilia Camp

Subaru had escaped the wrath of a certain half-elf by spiriting himself outside to wander the estate. He was now in the stable, where several ground dragons were housed.

_Time to test out this ability. Let's see if it works on animals._

Walking up to one of the pens, he read the nameplate on the gate.

“Fina.”

_That sounds like a girl's name._

The red ground dragon approached where he stood, curious about this human she didn't know.

"Alright, let's see what happens," he concentrated and flipped the switch.

“『Handsome Husbando』!“

<Bonk>

The dragon placed her head in his hand, obviously wanting to be petted. He obliged her, gently stroking the side of her face.

 _It works, but it's not as strong, or this ground dragon would be trying to climb the fence to get to me._ He shuddered at the possibilities. _I'll have to be careful._

A picture of a muscle-bound Onee-San holding him down and having her way with him entered his mind.

“ _Just lie back and enjoy, Subaru-chan,”_ she said in his vision.

He shivered.

_Very careful._

He switched off the Authority and turned to walk away.

Wandering out of the stable, he could see a butler approaching.

“Subaru-sama, “ the butler bowed, “Reinhard-sama is looking for you, he said it's about something important.” He was an older man, graying hair, probably in his mid-50's.

“Ok,” then an idea hit Subaru, “say, what's your name?” He asked the butler.

“Gerard, sir.” The butler genially replied.

“Gerard,” he switched the authority back on, “what do you think of my tracksuit? Is this good enough to wear while serving a Royal Selection Candidate?”

The Butler approached him, putting his hands on Subaru's shoulders, “Subaru-sama,” the butler began, “I know of no finer regalia in all the Kingdom. It is an adornment suited to a King.”

_Holy shit!_

Switching the authority off, the butler seemed slightly puzzled, then stepped back and bowed.

"Please find Reinhard-sama in the meeting room, Subaru-sama." Gerard then turned and walked back toward the mansion.

Subaru concluded that the Authority worked on men, but not as strongly as it did on women. Otherwise, he might have found the butler attempting to remove said tracksuit.

_Very careful indeed._

***********************************************************************************

He found Reinhard and Emilia waiting for him in a meeting room on the West side of the mansion.

“Subaru, Emilia-sama. I've made a decision.” He stood, walking over to where Emilia sat.

“Emilia-sama, please produce the sigil that you re-captured from the bowel hunter.”

Emilia stood, and reached into the folds of the white dress that Reinhard had provided her.

She held her right hand out, palm up. In it sat her sigil, the red stone in the center glowed brightly.

“Time to make it official. I called you here, Subaru, as the most suitable witness.” Reinhard dropped to one knee in front of Emilia, and with his right hand took the hand she held out containing the sigil.

"Candidate Emilia, I hereby declare my backing of your candidacy to be the next ruler of this country." Emilia and Subaru both gasped, "you will have my sword and the backing of the Astrea name."

Tears were welling up in Emilia's eyes.

Reinhard continued, “I swear upon the Royal Seat of Luginica, and the name of my Mother and Father, I will do everything in my power to place you on the throne of this country.”

"Sir Reinhard," Emilia began, "in the name of the Royal Selection, I accept your backing as well as your sword, and graciously declare you my first knight."

Reinhard, looked up at her, beaming.

“Also I have a request,” Emilia said, “would you also be my friend like Subaru?”

“Gladly.” The Knight replied, standing.

Subaru felt a twinge of jealousy but quickly decided that he was happy for Emilia since she had gained another friend.

_Even if it is a Knight that's bullshit handsome and dashing..._

“Also, there's something else, Subaru.” Reinhard turned toward him.

“Huh?” Subaru was confused.

“It is my wholehearted belief that your loyalty to Emilia-sama is iron-clad and without question.” Reinhard gave Subaru a warm smile. “I've discussed the matter with her, and we came to a conclusion.”

“What's that?” Subaru inquired.

Emilia turned to him and smiled. “Despite your recent...shenanigans, we believe you possess the qualifications.”

“Qualifications?” Subaru looked back toward Reinhard.

"To be knighted," Reinhard said.

“....” Subaru stood in silence.

The knight and the half-elf waited expectantly for a response.

Making a fist, and crooking his arm in a victory pose, Subaru declared, “fucking sweet.”

“Subaru,” Reinhard admonished him with a smile, “that wasn't a very knightly thing to do.”

***********************************************************************************

The training yard of the Astrea Estate was a large, flat expanse bordered by walls that appeared to be made of a material similar to concrete.

_Built to withstand the power of the Sword Saint, I suppose._

Subaru held a sword in his right hand, it was a pretty standard longsword of typical make.

“Hold your sword like this,” Reinhard stood next to him, holding another standard sword out in front of himself.

“Ah, that's the same as a Kendo stance!” Subaru mimicked his stance, holding the sword in his hands in front of him.

“Now, close your eyes and look within yourself. Feel the mana within you and slowly push it through your gate.” Reinhard's instructions were clear and concise, “imagine that you are sending it to your arms, to your legs, strengthening them.”

Subaru closed his eyes and did as he was instructed, imagining the mana strengthening his body.

“Now, sword in hand,” Reinhard grinned as he could sense the mana flowing through Subaru, “leap forward as fast and far as you can.”

"KABOUUUU!!!" With a strange and unorthodox battle cry, Subaru launched himself forward, "GYAAAA," crying out in surprise, he flew forward about thirty feet and was unready to stick the landing. Tripping over his own feet, he landed on his face and rolled for another ten feet as the momentum from the leap continued to move him forward. The sword he'd had in his hand went skittering across the ground as well.

"Oh dear." Reinhard rushed over to where Subaru lay.

“Are you injured?” he voiced his concern.

“I don't think so,” Subaru patted himself from a seated position. “I think my mana control still needs work. That leap used way more than I had intended.”

“I see,” Reinhard nodded, “but you show potential. It was a fine first attempt, Subaru.”

“Thanks. That went way better than some of my other first tries at doing things in this world.” Reinhard raised an eyebrow at the words 'this world.'

“That's likely due to my Divine Protection of Training,” Reinhard told him, “It helps me train people in the way of the sword.”

Blinking, Subaru looked at Reinhard, “that sounds pretty handy.” He stood up and retrieved the sword he had dropped.

“Subaru,” Reinhard wondered, “could it be that you are from beyond the Great Waterfall?”

“What's the Great Waterfall?” Subaru replied.

“The edge of our world.” Reinhard was studying him.

“You could say that the world I grew up in and this world aren't the same place.” Subaru was looking off in the distance, and his voice sounded wistful, “the night that I met you and Emilia, that was my first day here.” As he said this he turned to the knight.

“I see. My Divine Protection of Wind Reading tells me you are telling the truth,” Reinhard replied, “how is it that you came to be here?”

“I wish I knew,” Subaru looked down at the ground, “I was standing on a streetcorner and blinked, and the next thing I knew I was here in the Capital,” He looked up at Reinhard, “I suppose there's not much of a chance I'll ever see my parents again...” Sadness filled the eyes of the black-haired boy.

Reinhard's heart went out to him. He knew what it was like to have family taken away from you for reasons beyond your control.

“Allow me to be indulgent, Subaru,” Reinhard started, “being a knight for a lady is the same as being a part of her family. When you are knighted after you've gained sufficient strength, you and I will be as brothers.”

Subaru's gaze whipped to Reinhard, as he made a shocked face.

“And should Lady Emilia ascend to the throne and choose you as her husband,” Subaru's face began to burn red, “I will also be swearing my fealty to you.”

“Can a knight be married to the Queen?” Subaru faltered, as it was something he had not considered.

"If it's a Royal Knight, most certainly. It has happened before," Reinhard put a hand on Subaru's shoulder, "and I intend to vouch for you and have you sworn in as a Royal Guard like me."

Subaru gasped.

“Your skills are varied and unorthodox, but your loyalty to Emilia-sama is without question. With some training and a little help from my Divine Blessing, I believe we can get you to the point where you're up to the task of standing at her side.”

“You've got lofty goals for this boy, Reinhard! I'm looking forward to seeing if he can meet your expectations!” Subaru and Reinhard turned to see who had arrived.

It was a purple-haired man in a knight uniform, who approached Subaru gracefully.

“Julius Juukulius, Royal Knight of Lugunica, at your service,” the man bowed, then stood and met Subaru's gaze. “I'm told by Reinhard here that you are a spirit-arts user. At his request, I've come to train you in the ways of being a spirit-knight.”

***********************************************************************************

The history of Lugunica and its neighboring countries, matters of the economy, political tactics, and formal etiquette; all of these were things that Emilia had been studying the last few weeks after they had taken up residence in the Van Astrea Estate.

But today she was finding it difficult to concentrate. Her thoughts kept drifting to the black-haired youth who had confessed strong feelings for her.

<BTOOOM>

“Bwaaaugh!!!”

An explosion could be heard from outside, along with Subaru's shout, but she paid it no mind. The training that Reinhard and occasionally Julius had been putting Subaru through was rigorous, but according to Reinhard, it was necessary to bring him to the level of a Royal Knight.

Putting down her pen, she laid her head on the desk she had used to study.

_He said he loves me._

A warm feeling built up again in her chest.

_How do I feel about him? He's going through all of this suuuuuper hard training just to protect me._

<BWOOOM>

Another explosion.

“Hwaaaaaa!”

Another yell.

_He was my very first friend. And he's putting everything he's got into helping me._

_His eyes are harsh, like hers. I really like them. And he's handsome, and really cool._

Her chest burned as she thought of the young man who had helped her through so much.

_I've decided._

She stood up, and walked over to the closet, and began perusing the selection of dresses and robes that Reinhard had generously provided her.

_Something light, and easy to move in should do the trick. It's not like I'm going to a court gala after all._

***********************************************************************************

It was early evening, and Subaru sat on a bench in the estate garden. He was using the method Julius taught him to call to the spirits which resided there. Dozens of small glowing orbs, each one a spirit, floated around him.

_This isn't like when Emilia-tan does it, these spirits are of all different colors._

He could see all six of the different spirit-types. Fire, water, air, earth, light, and dark. He looked down at his right hand, where one quasi-spirit of each type happily floated about.

 _Easy, girls!_ He sent his thoughts to them. _I know you like the company of other spirits but don't get too excited!_

He heard a gasp and turned to his left to find Emilia in a white and purple set of robes, much like the ones she had been wearing when they met.

"Well, this brings back memories," he smiled at her, "you look positively stunning, Emilia-tan."

Having finally accepted that he was being sincere when he said things like this, she returned his smile.

"I see that your training with Julius has paid off tremendously." She looked around at all of the spirits surrounding him, "you can even commune with all six types!"

"If it hadn't been for meeting you I never would have known that I could use spirit-arts." He turned back and glanced up at the cloud of orbs, "they're quite fun to talk to once you get to know them."

She walked over and sat down next to him. “Quite? You never used to use words like that.”

“Julius has been hammering knightly conduct and etiquette into me,” Subaru laughingly replied, “Reinhard has been giving me the business about carrying myself as a knight should as well.”

He looked over at her, to find a glowing smile.

“You've become friends with them,” she was happy, “they're taking care to ensure that you're the best Subaru that you can be.”

Stricken with a blunt truth, Subaru's gaze lost its focus for a moment, then he nodded. "I suppose so. The three of us do like to rib each other quite a bit."

"Subaru," she faced toward the garden, gaze trailing off, "did you mean what you said? After you woke up when you said you loved me?"

“Every word.” He didn't waste a second in his response, “and I still do.”

“I was thinking,” her voice was hesitant, but confidence could be heard as well, “perhaps we could consider courtship?”

His face whipped back toward her, eyes wide, “do you mean it!? It would make my life complete, Emilia-tan!”

Again she was smiling, "you know, I've been thinking about all the things you've done for me since we met. I thought about when you told me you loved me. I thought about when you told me I was beautiful, and when you said that you think my ears are cute. You've told me sooooo much, sooooo many of your feelings. But I haven't told you anything, Subaru."

“I was holding out with the hope that you would slowly fall in love with me, Emilia-tan.” He smiled a smile full of confidence, and love.

“Since my memories started to come back I know my personality changed a little bit. I know I've become a little feisty...” she trailed off.

“Feisty is an understatement,” he was still looking at her, “but I love you even more now that you've got some spunk to you. You're still the kind and generous girl that I met in the city, but now you don't put up with anybody's bullshit.”

“That's not a very knightly thing to say!” she giggled at his remark.

Then, she turned toward him, and grabbing his shoulders, turned him as well, “here's the truth; when you tell me I'm beautiful my heart warms up so hot it almost hurts. When you told me you thought my ears were cute I almost started crying from joy, and when you told me you loved me I was ready to start a life with you right then and there.”

He gasped, taking in her wonderful words.

"But I didn't want you to be in danger anymore, so I rejected it," she pulled him slightly closer, "but I've seen how hard you've been working to become stronger. I also know that you've been doing that because you want to be able to protect both me and yourself. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed."

A small tear ran down his cheek, as she wholeheartedly recognized his hard work. His smile made her heart flutter, and a wanting, aching desire began to arise within her.

She returned his smile and touched his forehead with her own. "Natsuki Subaru, will you be my suitor, with marriage in mind at the end?"

“Emilia-tan, he whispered, it would be my honor.”

He grabbed her shoulders in return as her eyes widened.

He began to move his face toward hers, “I know this might be a little early, but if you don't want this, dodge.”

Slowly he moved in for their first kiss.

Emilia tucked and rolled to her left, lithely gaining her feet and simultaneously fluffing her hair with her hands.

“What is this, Dark Souls!?”

She placed her hands on her hips and humphed at him.

“Subaru! I can't be getting pregnant before the Royal Selection is over!” Her glare was tinged with disappointment.

“Bwa?” He was shocked, “I wasn't planning on taking it that far!”

“Subaru,” she wagged a finger at him, “kissing makes babies and we don't have time to be raising a child right now!”

Dumbfounded, he asked, “did Puck tell you that's where babies come from?”

“There's no denying it!” Her look was defiant, “Puck gave me a thorough education when we lived in the forest!”

Leaning back on the bench and sighing, he thought of the spirit. “Jeez, Puck. You really left me hanging here.”

“Hmm?” Emilia was curious, Subaru seemed to be under an improper impression of the process of babymaking.

“It's true, I would like to have a family one day, and you're the one I'd like to have it with,” he put his hand on his face, “and I want to share infinite kisses with you...”

He trailed off, realizing that he just told her he wanted to do infinite babymaking.”

_That comes later!_

Standing up, he grabbed her hand, “come on! We need to find Josephina!”

“What, why? He pulled her along sternly.

“Somebody has to explain the birds and the bees to you!” He was insistent.

***********************************************************************************

Emerging from one of the conference rooms, face bright red, steam emerging from her ears was Emilia. Behind her Josephina the maid emerged as well, eyes cast to the side.

“I see. Josephina has enlightened me.” she creakily turned toward Subaru.

Also, red in the face, Subaru stammered, "S-see! I wasn't trying to p-plant a baby in you! I just wanted a kiss!"

“Indeed.” Her eyes carried a far-off look.

“WellokgoodnightSubaru!” She took off sprinting down the hallway, hands over her face.

Subaru sighed, exasperated, and turned to the maid.

"So I see how it went," he murmured.

“Her previous notions on the subject were...misguided.”

"Good night Josephina. Thank you for your help." He dejectedly began walking down the hall toward his room.

As he was about to turn a corner, two pale arms reached out and grabbed him, pulling him toward their owner.

Her lips met his, and they smashed together. She reached her hand up behind his head and tried to pull him in deeper. Mind blank, he twined his arms behind the girl's back and pulled her fully against him. Tongue met tongue, as the kiss deepened. Primal pleasure enveloped the two newly-forged lovers, and they sought each other out.

Breaking the kiss, Emilia breathed deeply.

“Now I know where babies really come from,” she declared, “so we can do this as much as we want.”

Smiling at her once again, Subaru nodded, “Yeah, we can.”


	12. The Knight of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's make or break time for Subaru to become a Royal Knight, but the Knight-Commander isn't going to make it easy for him.

Chapter 12- The Knight of Love

Subaru, Emilia, and Reinhard walked the streets of the capital. The day was looming when Reinhard would present Subaru to be knighted, and Reinhard had insisted that they visit the best weapon shop in the city.

“A knight must have a fine sword,” he had said as they had breakfast, “nothing we have at this estate is suitable outside of my Reid, but unfortunately I am unable to part with it so we'll have to find your partner weapon in the city.”

As they walked down a merchant avenue, many people glanced at them due to the conspicuous nature of the trio. A strangely-dressed black-haired boy, an ethereal elven beauty, and the Sword Saint himself strode shoulder-to-shoulder.

“This is the place,” Reinhard had stopped in front of a large shop with a sword and shield emblazoned on its sign.

“Need I remind you again, Reinhard, that I am flat broke?” Subaru was having a little trouble accepting Reinhard's generous offer to purchase a high-level sword for him.

"Worry not, as a soon-to-be knight of this country it is my pleasure to ensure that you are suitably armed, as your sword is used in the ceremony itself." The red-haired knight walked into the shop.

“Come on, Subaru,” Emilia grabbed his hand, “you deserve it.” She turned and smiled at him as they walked into the shop.

Upon entering, dozens of swords, shields, and suits of armor could be seen. A large wooden counter was in the back of the front room, where a large bearded man wearing a leather apron could be seen. The trio made their way to the counter, where Reinhard spoke first.

“It has been a while, Logarius-sama.”

“Reinhard-sama! With a gruff voice, the man shook Reinhard's hand, “what can we do for you today?”

“I'd like to take my two friends here to look at your special collection,” he gestured at Subaru, “this one is to become a Knight of the Kingdom, as well as a Royal Guard in the coming days.”

The blacksmith eyed Subaru, “pardon me sayin' so, but he doesn't look like much,” Subaru shrank under his gaze, “but it's your money, so let's go upstairs.”

The man led them up to a locked room. He took out a silver key and used it to open the door at the top of the stairs. As they entered the room he beckoned for the trio to take a seat on the sofa-like piece of furniture against the back wall. As they did so, he took out a larger key and use it to unlock the doors on what resembled a massive wardrobe that filled the opposite wall. As he opened the large doors, many high-quality swords and other weapons were revealed, hanging on various hooks.

Subaru and Emilia gasped, as Reinhard enjoyed their reaction.

“Reinhard! These all look incredibly expensive!” Subaru pleaded with his friend.

“They are,” Logarius replied.

“Are you sure, Reinhard?” Emilia was having doubts now.

"Emilia-sama, if you had seen the growth in your paramour that I have seen in these past months, you would be confident that he deserves this." The smile on Reinhard's face was ear-to-ear. He was quite proud of his protege'.

“I see,” she turned back to Subaru, “Reinhard has every confidence in you so I'm inclined to agree. You've worked very hard.”

She thought back to the times he'd come to her after training and requested healing, to which she enthusiastically obliged. His injuries were never grievous, but among the many healing sessions there were sometimes broken bones, and some nasty cuts and contusions.

 _That training must have been terribly brutal._ Emilia had been busy herself so she hand't been able to watch them train.

Logarius inserted himself into the conversation, “so what's the kid's specialty? Strength? Speed?”

Reinhard continued to smile widely, “he is a Spirit Knight, Like Sir Julius.”

“Hmm,” the blacksmith began to turn toward the collection of weapons.

“But his movements are also powerful, and very fast.” Reinhard was beaming.

Emilia turned to look at Subaru, this was new information to her.

“Heh. Reinhard is a really really good teacher,” the boy had a sheepish grin.

“My student is too humble. He has made tremendous gains in his abilities.” Reinhard waved away Subaru's comment.

 _Just what kind of training have they been up to?_ Emilia wondered.

The blacksmith had been busy listening to the conversation, then he nodded, seemingly having a grasp of the situation. After a few seconds, he walked up to Reinhard with a sheathed sword in hand.

“This one was sold to me a long time ago, I've never thought that any swordsman's talents sounded like a good fit for it, until today,” he unsheathed the longsword, revealing a shimmering black blade, “It's supposed to be capable of harmonizing with multiple spirits and accepting them into the blade, almost like a home of sorts.”

Reinhard and Subaru leaned forward, excitedly.

“You mean, the blade can become elemental?” Subaru couldn't hide his excitement.

"I don't know, you're the spirit-arts user, you tell me," the blacksmith handed Subaru the blade. Concentrating, Subaru called to his first spirit, Igni the fire Quasi-Spirit.

_Igni, are you there?_

_ <Igni is here.>_

_Can you tell me anything about this sword?_

_ <Igni will investigate it.>_

The little spirit floated down close to the blade and began assessing it, slowly traveling the length of the sword. For several minutes, she traveled back and forth along the length of it, paying particular attention to the crossguard. The trio watched her as she floated back and forth, hopeful for good news. Then she floated up in front of Subaru and gave him her assessment.

_< The cross-guard of this weapon at its core contains a pyroxene crystal of great quality. In addition, the blade was forged with ground pyroxene which allows for the projection of elemental power into the blade itself. The quality of the forging itself is very high. This is a very good sword for a spirit-knight.>_

“Igni likes the sword,” turning to Reinhard and Emilia, he repeated her assessment, “she said it can both house spirits in the cross-guard and project power into the blade, and that it's well-forged. She called it a 'very good sword.'”

“Well then, it seems we have succeeded in finding our soon-to-be knight's sword!” Reinhard stood, and placed his hand on Logarius's shoulder, “let's make the arrangements, then.

As the two men walked away to talk shop, Subaru stared at the magnificent blade in his hands.

Emilia watched him, happy for his good fortune, “you'll have to take good care of it, you know.”

He tore his gaze from the weapon in his hand, “almost as well as I take care of you, Emilia-tan.”

The two brought their faces together, meeting with a gentle kiss. It lingered for a few seconds, before Reinhard interrupted, “you two spend all your spare time kissing and holding hands, but you shouldn't do that out in public. We need Emilia-sama's reputation to be that of a pure maiden.”

“I AM pure! All we've ever done is kissed!” Emilia feigned being hurt by his words.

“Careful, Sword Saint, your jabs might make our liege cry,” Subaru shot him a rebuke.

***********************************************************************************

The promised day had come, and the Emilia Camp Trio was in a dragon carriage headed toward the Palace. Subaru was nervous, as he tugged at the collar and sleeves of the brand new Royal Knight uniform he wore, trying to smooth out wrinkles that weren't there.

Emilia, sitting next to him and holding his left hand, giggled.

“Subaru calm down,” she soothed, “it's going to be fiiiiiiiine.”

“But Emilia-tan! I don't want to look like a buffoon or mess up!” he professed, “that would make you, Reinhard, and Julius look bad! I'm part of your camp and they vouched for me to the Knight-Commander!”

“You've practiced the words plenty of times, relax.” Reinhard was sitting across from the couple, gazing out the window, “and I would go to bat any day for the skills you've acquired these few months. Your growth was simply astonishing.”

“That's all because of your fancy-pants Divine Protection of Training!” Subaru still didn't have much confidence in himself.

"It's not just because of that. You're the first person I've ever seen who was able to grow their mana pool by brute-forcing it to empty every single day," the Sword Saint had a serious face, "if this proves to be repeatable under proper circumstances it will revolutionize the way that knights are trained."

“You were able to do that, Subaru?” The surprised look she gave him made him smile back at her.

“Yeah, that's why I went to bed right after dinner almost every night,” he admitted.

“You're so amazing.” She leaned toward him, and he met her with a passionate kiss, placing his hand under her chin.

“By the Od Laguna,” Reinhard rolled his eyes, “I've never seen two people be so into each other.” But then he cracked a small smile, “Emilia-sama, I'm quite certain he was able to do all of this because of his devotion to you.”

The response he received from her was not what he expected, “hmmmmmyeahhhh,” she moaned out as the couple continued to fraternize.

***********************************************************************************

Subaru stood outside the main hall of the Palace, nervous about the event to come.

_Remember the words, and make sure you conduct yourself like a knight, dumbass!_

Earlier, Reinhard had told him that the man who would be swearing him in as a knight was his father, Heinkel Van Astrea.

“But you should know, he is not a pleasant man,” Reinhard had warned, “if it could irritate me, he might make this event troublesome for you. But since Lugunica currently has no ruler, this is the only path to become a Royal Knight.”

The huge double doors in front of him began to open, prompting Subaru to stand up straight.

_Showtime._

“Enter, Natsuki Subaru, Prospective Knight!” A voice boomed from within.

Subaru entered the hall, sweeping his eyes back and forth as he walked past row after row of men dressed in the same garb he now wore. As he neared the front, he could see Emilia, Reinhard, and Julius side by side in the front row, facing toward him.

Looking forward, there was a man with long, familiar red hair standing on the dais at the end of the hall, placing him higher than all of the other occupants. Subaru arrived in front of him and kneeled on one knee.

“For what reason does a foreigner wish to become a knight of the Kingdom of Lugunica?” The man asked of him.

_Reinhard said this might happen._

Raising his head, he spoke upward to the man in a loud voice, "I intend to wield my life to protect Royal Selection Candidate Emilia, who I will help reach her goal of attaining the throne of this country, alongside the Sword Saint, Reinhard Van Astrea.”

"You would wager your life to protect a half-elf? This seems like a pitiful reason to grant you a knighthood."

 _Keep your cool, Subaru._ Emilia watched him closely, _Reinhard said he would try to get a rise out of you._

"I have spent a great deal of time with and fought powerful enemies alongside Candidate Emilia. Together with her powerful magic the two of us were able to slay the Guthunter, Elsa Granhiert! We withstood an onslaught from the Witch Cult Sin Archbishop of Lust until Reinhard arrived to slay her!" Subaru's reply was concise but carried great weight.

A murmur emerged among the gathered knights. Elsa had been an elusive target for many years, and no small number of knights had fallen to her blade. The mention of a Sin Archbishop as well drew gasps from many of them.

“Two very bold claims, Reinhard can you confirm any of this?” Heinkel, Reinhard's father looked toward him.

Reinhard stepped forward, “I can, these two were able to do just as Subaru says.” He gestured, one hand toward Emilia, the other toward Subaru.

“Still, most Knights train for years before being allowed to take the oath,” Heinkel continued, “why should we let this whelp join our ranks after you trained him for a few months?”

“Because my methods are unorthodox,” Reinhard replied, “and they produce maximum results.”

"Also, Sir Julius has trained him in the spirit-arts and together the two of them have created new techniques," Reinhard concluded.

There was a murmur among the crowd as Reinhard said this.

It was Julius's turn to vouch for the boy, "He is a spirit-arts user like myself, and during training, he invented techniques I had never even considered, many of which I am working to adapt to my own style."

Again a murmur rose, louder this time.

“I propose a test,” the Knight-Commander looked to the crowd, “would one among you like to duel this boy and put him in his place?”

_Oh no! He's going to get hurt again!_

Frightened, Emilia looked to Reinhard to put a stop to this before Subaru was injured once again. As he turned to look at her, she noticed something.

He was smiling.

“Have some confidence in him, Emilia-sama,” Reinhard whispered to her, “he just might surprise you.”

Nodding, she decided not to intervene just yet.

“I'll have a go at him.”

A medium-sized bald man with a short beard walked toward the front of the gathered knights.

“Sir Millwood, would you kindly put this boy's skills to the test?” Heinkel displayed a sneer.

“With pleasure,” the bald man replied.

“That's one of the knights who kisses up to my father,” Reinhard told Emilia, “He is fairly skilled.”

“However,” he turned to her, “he is no match for Subaru.”

***********************************************************************************

Everyone in attendance had moved to the arena at the edge of the palace, with an area containing raised seating for all to watch the match between Subaru and Sir Millwood.

Subaru stood facing the knight, now without the coat that signified a knight of the kingdom. He was still wearing the pants, but up-top was a simple t-shirt.

_Ok, remember your training. Keep mana flowing in your body, telepathically communicate with your spirits so that they can direct power with no delay, and stay a step ahead of him._

He looked down at the wooden sword he was given. After his months with Reinhard and Julius, he was intimately familiar with holding one.

Heinkel appeared in the place of honor, with Emilia, Julius and Reinhard seated near him. Emilia had a worried look on her face, but Subaru just gave her a wink and mouth words to her, “I'll be fine.”

She appeared to relax a little bit.

Turning around, Subaru faced his opponent, the experienced knight Millwood.

Heinkel raised his hand in preparation to start the duel.

_Ok ladies, it's go-time, we're finally gonna fight for real._

_ <We are ready.> _His six spirits simultaneously replied to him.

Gathering mana and spreading it out within his body, he leaned forward with a stance that Reinhard taught him, which he had slightly modified to resemble the Japanese sword-drawing styles.

Heinkel brought down his hand, “Begin.”

Charging forward, Subaru closed the ten yards between himself and Millwood in less than half a second and executed an upward sword strike at his opponent. Millwood's eyes went wide as he scrambled to meet the blow, sliding back several feet as he barely defended against it.

_Don't let up! Keep him on his heels!_

Pressing forward, Subaru dropped to a crouch and used mana to accelerate his leg outward in a sweeping kick, and his wind spirit, Venti, added force to the blow.

Slamming his leg into Millwod's front foot shot it out from under him. As he began to tumble to the side Subaru gathered power and mana in his legs and shot up from the crouch. Pushing mana into his arms, he was now two-handing the wooden sword. The swing was another uppercut, and his earth-spirit, Terra, reinforced the blade. The wind spirit Venti sharpened the blow with wind magic as he shot forward slamming his sword into the one Millwood held.

Millwood's sword disintegrated into a shower of splinters as he was blasted backward into the wall of the arena. Bouncing viciously off of it, he landed in a heap on the ground.

Unmoving, he stayed down.

Silence overtook the arena, Millwood was a good fighter, but this boy had dismantled him in seconds.

Turning to his father, Reinhard looked every bit the proud teacher, "well then? Certainly, that should be enough, correct?"

“Oh my God, Subaru!!!” Emilia took off running to her beloved.

He stood with a triumphant stance, looking around at the knights as if to say, “any more challengers?”

Many of them wilted under his gaze.

“My name is Natsuki Subaru!” He loudly proclaimed, raising his right hand to the air and pointing a finger up, he struck a pose, “and I fight for Candidate Emilia!”

"Subaru!!!" Emilia came flying out of the entrance to the arena floor, crashing into him.

Seeing this, the gathered knights began cheering wildly.

“That was AMAZING!!!” she was practically hysterical, with how much he had impressed her, “I had no idea you had gotten that good!!!”

“I appreciate that, Emilia-tan!” He gave her his best smile, “It's my priority to look cool in front of you at all times!”

She put a finger on his mouth and whispered, “I want to kiss you so badly right now!”

“Me too but Reinhard would yell at us with all these knights looking at us,” he gave her a small embrace, “save me some of that enthusiasm for later on.”

***********************************************************************************

Once again, Subaru was kneeling in front of Heinkel.

“Do you, Natsuki Subaru, swear from this day forth to uphold the laws, and defend the People, the Nobility, and the Royalty of the country of Lugunica?”

Heinkel looked displeased.

"I swear on the name Natsuki, I swear on the honor of my parents, I swear on my life. I will defend the People, Nobility, and Royalty of Lugunica, and uphold its laws."

“Then as Knight-Commander,” with Subaru's sword, Heinkel tapped Subaru's left shoulder with the flat of the blade, “I declare Sir Natsuki Subaru,” he tapped Subaru's right shoulder, “A Knight of the Kingdom of Lugunica.”

“Sir Subaru,” Heinkel continued, “it is our tradition when we welcome a new knight into the fold, for said knight to choose a moniker. Other titles can later be earned, such as Reinhard's 'Greatest Knight' title. What would you have as your title, newest of knights?”

 _I didn't know about this,_ Subaru thought.

_What do I fight for?_

_Simple._

_I fight for love._

_My Authority of Lust is also related to love._

_That's it._

“I fight for love, Knight Commander. I would have that as my title.”

“I see,” Heinkel raised an eyebrow, “rise, Natsuki Subaru, The Knight of Love!”

A cheer arose from the crowd of knights, who had been incredibly impressed with Reinhard's protege'. Subaru stood up, looking straight over to Emilia. She was clapping and wildly cheering, as excited as a little girl.

Julius and Reinhard, for their part, both wore smiles of satisfaction as they nodded at Subaru.

“We should have a small party at the estate tonight, what do you think, Julius?”

“That's a splendid idea. If we're going to do that, we should invite Felix and Crusch-sama. Though I would understand if you did not wish to invite Wilhelm-sama.”

“Yes, I think I will invite Felix and Crusch-sama. I'm sure they would love to meet Emilia-sama and Subaru.”

The carriage ride back to the Astrea estate was uneventful. Reinhard had chosen to ride at the front with the driver and make small talk. The main reason for this was what was going on inside the coach.

_At least they waited until they got in the carriage to pounce all over each other like that. Doing that in front of the knights would have caused quite a scandal._

If one were to be walking by as this particular carriage rolled past, if they were paying attention, they might notice that the carriage's windows were fogged up.

***********************************************************************************

Reinhard had thrown a small party and invited a few friends, including Julius. When he had first met Subaru, Julius hadn't thought much of the boy's capabilities and wasn't sure what Reinhard had seen in him. But Subaru had proved to him something that had been taught to him since he first took up the sword many years ago.

A warrior's greatest weapon is his mind.

Julius had set out to teach Subaru his style of spirit-sword combat, hoping the boy could at least grasp the basics before their training time ended. But he found himself soon bombarded by questions that suggested whole new ways to apply the spirit-arts to combat, which Julius had to admit he'd never considered.

Subaru didn't view the spirits as an avenue to cast spells to augment attack and defense, instead, he saw the spirits as an extension of himself which allowed for lightning-quick action and reinforcement of movement.

Adding low-level wind magic to a sweeping kick to amplify its power, it was so simple yet so effective that Julius couldn't believe he had never thought to try it himself. Combined with the mana manipulation that Reinhard's Divine Protection had been able to bring out of him, Subaru's speed and the power of his blows were truly impressive.

He looked over where Subaru and Emilia had become fast friends with Felix and Crusch-sama. That was no mean feat considering how difficult it was to impress Lady Crusch.

Julius himself had given her a bad first impression when they met.

She had thought him pompous.

He smiled at the memory.

Subaru excitedly talked to Felix about something, then stretched out his hands in front of him and concentrated. A blue glow spread across the table.

_He's casting spirit healing magic!!!_

Felix had taught him healing magic and was looking rather smug.

Emilia clapped and praised him as everyone at the table laughed and smiled.

_Just who are you, Natsuki Subaru?_

***********************************************************************************

“I want to get this itchy uniform off as soon as possible!” Subaru complained to Emilia as he tugged at the collar.

“No way mister! You look incredibly dashing in that uniform! It stays on until the guests have all left!” Emilia had crushed his objections with facts and logic.

“Myew DO look pretty good in it, Subaru-kun,” Felix agreed with Emilia. “You know, I was at the Knight-Gathering today for your swear-in, as was my dyuty. The way you handled thyat bully Millwood was amazing! I never syaw that coming!”

“Felix told me about it when he got home,” Crusch leaned forward in her chair, “I'd love to see you in action sometime, 'Knight of Love,'” she teased. “Also, Sir Wilhelm, the Sword Demon, is a part of our camp and he very much wants to meet you as well.”

The four of them sat in one of the Astrea Mansion meeting rooms, it was one of the more intimate ones with room for about six people to meet. Reinhard had asked the four of them to meet here but he was running late.

Opening the door at the edge of the room, Reinhard and Julius stepped in.

“My apologies,” Reinhard bowed, “I had to reject a marriage proposal from one of the Nobles I invited, he wanted me to marry his daughter. I had to let him down gently.”

“HA! It sure is hard being the Sword Saint isn't it!?” Subaru said this and everyone burst out laughing.

"He wanted to marry his other daughter to you, Subaru," suddenly the laughter stopped, "you made a big splash at your Knighting Ceremony today. Naturally, I turned him down in your stead. I think we all know where your heart lies."

Subaru's head whipped around to gauge Emilia's reaction, eyes wide.

She looked at him, then sighed.

“I guess I have to expect that if my Subaru is going to be soooo coooool. You better not let any of those noble girls get their claws in you, Mister!!!” She mimicked a cat clawing at him.

“Oh now it's 'My Subaru' is it? I remember a time when you flipped out on me for saying 'My Emilia-tan!'”

“Huh? I don't remember that.” She looked at him, confused.

_Oh shit, that was from the time when we died to Capella!_

“Ah, maybe I dreamed it,” Subaru waved off the remark, “I see you in my dreams all the time, you know.”

“Subaru, don't act like such a pervert in front of our guests!” Emilia turned red once again.

Crusch burst out laughing, “I don't know what it is about you two, but you put me completely at ease. I haven't had this much fun in years!”

As she made this comment, Felix turned and looked at her, then a happy smile came upon his face.

“I'm afraid I have to end the pleasantries, there's a bit of business I'd like to get to regarding the Selection.” Reinhard hated to spoil the mood, but this was important.

"We have two of the three candidates gathered in this room who I believe would be most beneficial to the country. The third's knight is here in the form of Julius, a close friend of mine." The Sword Saint turned to Julius, "I would like all of you to consider this confidential, as it could drastically affect the future of Lugunica."

“What do you have in mind?” Crusch had switched into serious mode.

“A three-way alliance between the Emilia Camp, the Crusch Camp, and the Anastasia Camp, “ Reinhard declared.

“An alliance...” Emilia considered, “what do you see being the benefits of an arrangement like this?”

“Threefold,” Reinhard had obviously put a lot of thought into this, “First, we will share the same friends and the same enemies. My gifts are considerable in regards to martial power, but I cannot be everywhere at once. The same sentiments go to Julius, and the same sentiments go to my Grandfather and Subaru, as well as Lady Emilia and Lady Crusch. Anastasia also has a small army of mercenaries, and Felix's healing abilities should also come into consideration. The three camps, if entered into this agreement should share the burden of defending these candidates at all cost. I am committed to putting Emilia-sama on the throne, but I will accept the results if the ruler is either Anastasia-sama or Crusch-sama.”

"Second, should one of the camps fall or withdraw, its remaining members will come under the protection of the other two camps, and the same applies should that happen to two of them. The remaining camp or camps would gain the support and fighting power of the dissolved camp or camps, in exchange for mutual protection."

“Third, there can be no smear campaigns, no degradation, and no conspiracies between the three camps. That goes double for you, Julius. I trust you, but your mistress is another matter in this regard. Present this proposal to her, and tell her that under no circumstances is she to use underhanded tactics to gain an advantage if she wishes to enter into this alliance.”

Julius was shocked, but not entirely surprised at his friend's words.

“Anastasia-sama has her ways, but I will convey your words to her.”

"There is one more thing," Reinhard continued, "each of the other two candidates who do not win the Selection will have the opportunity to be given cabinet positions by the new ruler. For example, if Emilia wins I would suggest making Lady Anastasia the Economic Minister, and Lady Crusch the Commander-in-Chief of this country's army."

Everyone's eyes widened at this proposal.

Crusch leaned back and put her hand to her chin in thought, "It does seem like a good deal."

“We all want our candidate to be the one to succeed,” Reinhard continued,” but mighty forces are working against us.”

He turned to Emilia, “The kingdom's spies have alerted me that the Witch Cult is on the move,” then he turned to Crusch, ”and the White Whale will appear soon. I don't know where and I don't know when for sure, but when the Witch Cult shows up so does the Whale. My investigations have confirmed this.”

He paused for effect, "If we join the considerable might of these three camps, we can rid our country of several entities who have sewn chaos, death, and destruction for the last 400 years."


	13. The Scientific Method

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia's camp devises a way to become even stronger, and the final candidate is discovered.

Chapter 13- Scientific Method

Subaru was standing in front of a thick tree at the far back end of the Astrea Estate. It was about four feet in diameter and stood tall and strong. In his right hand, he held the grip of his new sword, which was sheathed. He was bent, right foot forward, left foot back.

“Speed, power, control, these points form the pyramid of swordsmanship.” Reinhard was standing behind him. “Gather mana, distribute it to your muscles. In your arms, in your legs, in your core.”

Julius was next to Reinhard, “Send your thoughts to the spirits residing in your sword's cross-guard. Ask them to extend their power to the blade.”

A white glow began to emanate from within the sheathe. Deepening his stance, Subaru prepared for the blow.

Reinhard narrowed his eyes, “ATTACK!”

The sword left its sheathe approaching the speed of sound. The six elements had turned the shiny black blade an ethereal white, as it glowed with power. Pouring mana into his muscles, Subaru screamed as he swung the blade at the tree, rotating his body to the right to add weight to the blow.

“YYYEEEAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!”

There was an explosion of power as the attack made contact, sending smoke and shards of wood in every direction. As the smoke cleared, Subaru and the tree reappeared in the vision of Reinhard and Julius.

His black blade was buried two-thirds of the way into the tree, making Subaru grimace.

“Not bad, Subaru,” Julius praised him, “this time you almost made it all the way through.”

Foot on the trunk, and yanking on the sword, Subaru lamented, “either of you two would have cut all the way through!”

"I'm not too sure about that," Julius replied, "that's a hardwood and those are very tough."

<SHUNK>

The sword finally came out of the tree, and Subaru cradled it lovingly as he gazed at the shining black of the blade.

“If you keep looking at your sword like that Emilia-sama will get jealous,” Reinhard teased.

"Emilia-tan does not need to ever be jealous, as there is room for only her love in my heart!" Subaru sheathed the sword.

They began making their way back toward the mansion, taking a leisurely pace. This was their weekly day of rest, so there was no need to be in a hurry.

“Anastasia-sama has accepted the terms of your proposed alliance,” Julius turned his head to look at the two other knights, “she seemed to be pleased with your idea. Especially regarding the White Whale, as it has been an especially dangerous thing for traveling merchants.”

“Very good, then we have an accord, Crusch-sama and Emilia-sama have already accepted as well.” Reinhard was pleased. This was a chance to extend the protection of these powerful people to the citizens of Lugunica, in the form of their formidable camp members, and in the case of Emilia and Crusch, themselves. “We should arrange a meeting between all camp members soon.”

“Agreed,” said Julius.

“Isn't there supposed to be another candidate that's already been discovered?” Subaru was curious, “why didn't you ask her as well?”

"That would be Priscilla Barielle," Reinhard's tone had softened, "I do not think she would have agreed to the terms, she believes that the throne is hers by birthright and by virtue of her divine luck."

“Any word on the final candidate? The start of the Selection has already been postponed twice,” Julius sounded slightly frustrated at this.

“The Sage Council has consulted the Dragon Stone several times, nothing has changed,” Reinhard lamented, “five Candidates were foretold, so it seems that five Candidates there will be.”

The three knights arrived at the common ground of the estate, and the two residents bade farewell to Julius.

“Stay well, friends. We're formally allied now,” he smiled, “I'm looking forward to working with you!” Julius turned to leave, and Reinhard clapped Subaru on the shoulder.

“I can't help but feel like I've become part of something much bigger than myself,” Subaru said.

“That's what it is to be a knight, my friend,” Reinhard understood precisely how he felt.

“I'm going to head to the stable, there's a little project in there that I've been working on,” Subaru turned to head toward the stable grounds.

“Oh?” Reinhard was curious, “what kind of project?”

“I'm not ready to reveal it yet!” Subaru replied as he walked away.

“Curious,” Reinhard muttered as he headed toward the mansion.

***********************************************************************************

The Sage Council sat in session, and its leader, Miklotov, was wishing for this abysmal meeting to end. For hours now the old men had bickered back and forth about matters of state. Even now, a representative from Priestella, the Water Gate City, was arguing semantics with a representative of the Barony of Barielle.

 _Abysmal. Abysmal. Abysmal._ He thought.

Suddenly, one of the castle pages came barreling in, almost out of breath.

The Priestella counsel member glared daggers at the boy, “HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT A MEETING OF THE SAGE COUNSEL!”

Miklotov was delighted for a change of pace to arrive, “Hold up now, boy, have you brought news?”

“Sage counsel! It's the Dragon Stone! There's been a change!” The boy revealed.

An explosion of activity came upon the old men as they all jumped out of their seats and hurried to the room where the stone was stored.

As they poured into the room, Miklotov shoved his way to the front to read the stone's prophecy. But as he read its etchings, he could detect nothing different from what it had read since it declared the Royal Selection.

He gestured the boy over, pointing at the tablet, “are you daft, boy? Nothing has changed!”

Pointing, the boy indicated a certain part, “read the passage where it speaks of the candidates!”

Straining his old eyes once again, Miklotov read the Candidate passage.

And he gasped.

What once had read, “Five Dragon Maidens will appear,” now said, “Five Dragon Candidates will appear.”

“What in the Od Laguna does this mean?” the old man wondered.

***********************************************************************************

Emilia, Reinhard, and Subaru sat in the mansion's guest parlor as Josephina served them tea.

"Thank you, Josephina," Reinhard was polite as always, "we're going to be discussing some top-secret business so I would appreciate your discretion," he trusted the maid to perform her duties in the room while they had a meeting.

“Of course, Reinhard-sama,” she bowed warmly to him.

“I've been thinking about something a lot lately,” Subaru began, “I feel like we need to gather more allies.”

Emilia almost choked on her tea, “Subaru, we have the Sword Saint, you, me, and all of the fighters in two other camps pledged to stand with us! For what reason could we possibly need more fighting power?”

"Because of this," Subaru stood and walked to an easel he had place against a wall before their meeting began. He grabbed a large piece of stiff parchment that sat upon it, and turned it around so they could see what was written on the other side.

It read:

LUST- KILLED

GREED- UNKNOWN

GLUTTONY- UNKNOWN

WRATH- UNKNOWN

PRIDE- UNKNOWN

SLOTH- UNKNOWN

ENVY- SEALED

WHITE WHALE- UNKOWN

GREAT RABBIT- UNKOWN

BLACK SERPENT- UNKNOWN

"I finally had time to sit down and read about the Witch of Envy, by the way, thank you for the reading lessons, Emilia-tan!" He gave her a small bow.

“Oh yes, no problem!” she was happy to have been able to help him. Her smile disappeared as she gazed back at the parchment.

“It stands to reason that if Capella was after us due to what her gospel told her, that the gospel will also send the other Archbishops after us,” Subaru tried using a logical argument.

"He makes a good point," Reinhard nods, "like I was saying the other night, I can do a lot but I can't be everywhere at once. If the five remaining Archbishops mount a coordinated attack, it could be a very perilous situation. We know nothing about their abilities, save the Bishop of Sloth, who has some kind of invisible hands that can do things like maiming his targets, as they possess incredible strength. We know that much about him simply because he's the most active among them."

“I see,” Emilia wasn't hard to convince, “so what should we do? Where do we look to seek out more strong allies?”

“I have a starting point that I would like to suggest,” Subaru interjected, “but you might not like it, Emilia.”

Emilia narrowed her eyes, “surely you don't mean who I think you mean. He left us to die, Subaru!!!”

Putting his hands flat on the table and leaning forward, Subaru said seriously, “he's the most powerful magic-user in the kingdom, Emilia.”

“You can't be serious,” Reinhard was mystified, “how do you even know he'll show his face to you, much less join you, after what he did?”

“Because I intend to charm him,” Subaru sat back in his seat at the table.

“What?” Reinhard sat forward, “you intend to charm Roswaal Mathers? A man who's so far out of a normal person's comprehension that he wears clown makeup wherever he goes?”

“You're forgetting one very important thing,” Subaru retorted.

“No,” Emilia was becoming annoyed, “you're not talking about that gross authority you have?”

"The same," Subaru replied.

“How do you even know that it works on men?” Reinhard didn't like where this was going, “and don't you dare try testing it on me!”

Subaru suddenly looked very sheepish, "eh heheheheh, about that, I've confirmed that it does work on men, but differently from women."

“Subaru what have you done?” Reinhard sounded displeased.

“I sort of tested it on your butler, Gerard.”

“For God's sake man, will you quit testing your sexual predator superpower on my staff!?” Reinhard was now standing with his palms on the table.

“I had to know! And it was harmless, I just asked him what he thought of my track-suit!” Subaru attempted to calm the angry knight, “he put his hand on my shoulders and declared it the finest raiment he'd ever seen, and that it was an outfit befitting a king!”

Reinhard fell back into his chair, “I trained this man. I got him knighted. What would Grandmother think?”

“There's more you two should know,” Subaru continued.

“What!? Subaru this has to stop!” Emilia was getting upset now.

“I've learned to apply a greater degree of control to it. Specifically, I can now direct it at a single target, or use it in an area of effect. I can also raise or lower the power between three different levels. The one you experienced, Emilia-”

“HMPH!!!” she turned her head to the side.

He continued, “that would be the medium setting.”

“Are you serious!? THAT was MEDIUM!?” She was incredulous at his words.

“Wait,” Reinhard interrupted, “then what does the high-level version do?”

"It...causes the target to experience a certain release," Subaru replied, averting his eyes.

“Your language is vague, Natsuki Subaru,” Reinhard narrowed his eyes.

"Um," Subaru attempted to be diplomatic with his language, "you know, it brings them to a certain climactic moment."

Reinhard's eyes went wide, “you can't mean...”

Subaru put his hand behind his head and rubbed his hair, “yeah, it gives them an orgasm.”

Reinhard held his face in his hands. How had it come to this?

“Excuse me,” it was Emilia, “what's an orgasm?”

“Josephina!?” Subaru spun around, “that was part of your job! You were supposed to teach her about that stuff!”

The maid held her hands over her face, “it was too embarrassing!”

***********************************************************************************

Once again, Emilia and Josephina shuffled out of a private room, after having given Emilia her second lesson on 'the Birds and the Bees.' Emilia was as red as a mato, and Josephina's face was ghastly pale.

“Reinhard-sama, I'm not feeling well, may I have your blessing to go to my room and lay down?” The green-haired maid seemed under the weather.

“Of course, Josephina,” he replied.

“So, Subaru,” Reinhard picked up where they had left off, and his eyes narrowed, “just who did you test this on to learn how to control it?”

“Not who so much as what,” Subaru replied.

“Meaning?”

"The red ground dragon in the stables," Subaru said nonchalantly.

Reinhard jumped back to his feet, "FINA!? That's the mount I ride into battle! I raised her from the day she hatched!"

"I didn't do anything bad to her, she quite enjoyed it, in fact. I also discovered that prolonged exposure to the effects of the authority produces genuine feelings of affection. She reeeeeally likes me now." Subaru's assessment was clinical.

Reinhard flopped down again in his seat, “Fina...forgive me.”

Reaching in her robe for something to throw at Subaru for being a dunderhead again, Emilia's hand finally caught something, so she hurled it at him.

"Baka Subaru!"

Her aim was a little off as it clattered against the wall

“Hey, you shouldn't be throwing important things like this, Emilia-tan, remember how hard it was to get back?” Bending over, he picked up the object. Turning back toward her he held it on his palm.

The other two gasped, and Reinhard jumped to his feet again.

Upon the palm of Natsuki Subaru, the Candidate Sigil glowed a deep crimson.


	14. The Royal Selection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time for the Selection approaches, but will Subaru also be a candidate?

Chapter 14- The Royal Selection

Reinhard had immediately gone to the palace with the news that the fifth Candidate had been found, who was now under the protection of House Astrea. He had opted not to take Fina as his transportation, claiming, “I can't bear to look her in the eye.”

Subaru and Emilia remained in the room where the discovery had been made that he possessed the qualifications to rule. Both had been silent for a while now, with downcast looks upon their faces.

Finally, Subaru broke the silence, “Emilia, I...don't want to be a Candidate. The whole reason I'm even here is to support your efforts for the throne. Aren't all of the Candidates supposed to be women anyway? I'm not the least bit interested in being another stone on the path to your dream.”

“I understand,” she lifted her face, “but the Dragon has chosen you. It's a destiny you must face, even if that means you would be competing against me.”

“I can't do it,” he moved to sit next to her on a loveseat-like piece of furniture, “I love you, and I've promised to help you. Hell, I swore to do so on my life and parents' honor!”

Taking his hand, she leaned over against him, putting her head on his shoulder, “every time things start going our way some insane obstacle pops up, don't you think?”

He placed a gentle kiss on top of her head, “there's a saying where I come from, it goes 'God never gives you a problem that you can't handle,'” another kiss on her gorgeous hair, “we'll find a way past this, no matter what it takes.”

“You think so?” She looked up at him.

Meeting her gaze, he smiled, “the Knight of Love guarantees it.”

“MY Knight of Love,” she moved her face to his, and they kissed gently, as he placed his hand under her chin.

Subaru's eyes widened, and he broke the kiss, grabbing her by the shoulders.

“Subaru?” She was confused.

“Emilia! I have an idea!” He had an excited look on his face, “we'll combine our campaigns into one, under one banner of two Candidates who the Dragon has deemed qualified, it's an advantage that nobody else can claim in the Selection!”

“But we can't both be King, Subaru,” she sounded sad.

“We won't be, I'll be the King, you be the Queen! Do I even have to explain that? Jeez, Emilia-tan.” He was gently shaking her shoulders and her occasional ditziness could get to him, “five candidates, four campaigns. Ours will have the advantage of being the only one where it would install both rulers as candidates chosen by the Dragon. If any of the other candidates were chosen, the person they married to rule alongside would not be a chosen! Our strength in the Selection will be unique!”

Realization came upon her, “Subaru, that's a reeeeeally good idea!” Then she blushed just a bit, “but you know, that means one thing. I-I don't mind, but soon after the Selection ended, we would be married.”

“Emilia,” he wore a huge grin, “I got my first payday as a Royal Knight a few days ago, do you remember that shopping trip I made? The one I wouldn't let you accompany me on?”

She nodded, unsure where this was going.

“I had intended to set up some super-duper romantic situation for this, but the best time for it seems to have landed right in my lap,” he reached into a pocket of his jacket, “good thing I decided to wear my uniform today! My track-suit wouldn't do for this!”

Subaru moved to put one knee down on the floor, and holding up one hand, he produced a small black box. Then he opened it.

Within, was a diamond ring.

She gasped.

“Emilia, just Emilia, will you marry me, and become Natsuki Emilia?”

Her heart was bursting with joy, and there was only one response she could give him.

“Yes! With every fiber of my being, yes!”

She cried tears of joy, and taking her hand gently, he slid the ring into place on her left hand. The half-elf girl flung herself at him, giving a tight embrace that she wanted to never end.

A half-elf girl who thought no one would ever want her. _To have comrades, to have friends, to have a HUSBAND._ These were things she had never thought possible, and never even bothered to wish for. But now, she had friends. Crusch, Felix, Reinhard, Julius. These people could be called comrades as well. And best of all, this boy...no this was no boy. He was a powerful knight now.

This is a _man._

A man who wants to marry her, and not because of some Royal Selection, and her social station resulting from it.

But because he _loves_ her.

Because he's _in_ love with her.

And she loved and was in love with him.

This man had changed her whole world.

_Puck, Mother Fortuna, Geuse, I hope you can see me!_

***********************************************************************************

“The Dragon Stone has reflected the change in the Selection,” Reinhard reported, “it seems we will have some difficult decisions to make.”

He'd arrived back at the Estate expecting the two lovebirds to be moping over the discovery of Subaru's qualifications but instead found the two of them happily embracing, on the floor both in tears.

“Reinhard, we're getting married!” Emilia showed her left hand to him, where a ring now was.

Mouth dropping open, Reinhard quickly composed himself, “I see. Congratulations to the happy couple are in order, then.”

 _These two move fast!_ He thought.

“But if I may delay the celebrating for just a little while, we have a problem. A noble house is allowed to only sponsor one Selection Campaign.”

“Subaru already came up with a solution!” Emilia patted him on the head, “He's sooooo smart!”

"Really? What is it, Subaru?" Reinhard was prepared to hear what might be a terrible idea or a great one. Subaru was capable of both.

“Simple. Five candidates, four campaigns,” he pointed to Emilia, “we run together as a package deal, both chosen by the dragon. As of about twenty minutes ago we're engaged to wed, so it's a perfect solution!”

Reinhard was again shocked. This method would simultaneously circumvent an arbitrary rule of the Sage Council and boosted their chances at actually winning.

“Then there's only one thing left to do!” Reinhard went down on one knee, facing the couple,” I will need to amend my oath to Emilia-sama. Emilia-sama and Subaru-sama, I hereby pledge my sword, my backing, and my life to your service. As candidates to rule this country I will do everything in my power to see you to the throne.”

The couple looked at each other for a second, nodded, and turned back to Reinhard.

“We accept!” They nodded together.

“Here, Subaru, the Sage Council gave me this so I could deliver it to you,” he handed Subaru a sigil identical to the one Emilia kept, it glowed as soon as Subaru's outstretched hand touched it.

"As of now, your identity as a candidate remains a secret," Reinhard's face was serious, "but I believe I have an idea that will make a rather large impression at the Selection, should the two of you be amenable."

Josephina, having caught enough of the conversation to understand the gist of it, entered with a bottle of Champaign in hand as well as three glasses.

“It seems congratulations are in order, don't you think, Reinhard-sama?”

***********************************************************************************

With the discovery of the fifth mysterious candidate, the timetable for the Royal Selection had once again been set in motion. Emilia and Subaru, with assistance from Reinhard, had planned and practiced how they would present themselves. The idea is that they would try to be the last two to present, Emilia going before Subaru. As allies, Crusch and Anastasia had been informed of who the final candidate was, as well as the engagement. The reply from Crusch had been one of congratulations, with a bouquet of roses. Anastasia's had been a box of choco-covered flugelberries with a card that simply had a smiley face drawn on it. Discretion had been requested of them regarding Subaru entering the Selection.

Today was the day, and the Emilia/Subaru camp trio was rapidly approaching the palace in a carriage. The couple sat side-by-side, as always. They leaning toward each other, resting their heads together in quiet contemplation. Both of them were looking down at the diamond ring on her hand, held by his, and both of them were wearing a small smile.

Soon they arrived and disembarked from the carriage. Subaru was wearing his knight uniform, sword at his side, while Emilia wore the white and purple robes with the sigil of House Astrea upon them. Walking toward the great hall, much activity could be seen on the palace grounds as servants, knights, and politicians scurried around. Soon, they encountered Julius, who was with a short purple-haired girl.

“Julius! Good to see you!” Reinhard greeted his friend, “I don't think these three have been properly introduced!”

“Indeed, let us remedy that,” Julius turned to the girl, “Anastasia-same, may I introduce Emilia-sama, and a person who I suppose I should now address as Subaru-sama.”

“I'm charmed ta meet ya! And don't worry, Julius is the only one I told about Mr. Dark Horse over here!” Gesturing toward Subaru, the girl seemed friendly, with a strange accent.

 _That sounds like Kansai dialect._ Subaru thought.

“It's very nice to meet you, Anastasia-sama, thank you for agreeing to our proposal for an alliance!” Emilia greeted the short girl warmly.

“None of that 'sama' stuff! We're equals, ya know!” Anastasia smiled as she said this.

“Be that as it may, it's still a pleasure to finally put a face to the name,” Subaru gave her a graceful bow, in the way Julius had taught him.

A warm smile came upon Julius's face as he saw this.

 _He's come a long way,_ he thought to himself. _He's a proper knight now._

“Well if it isn't three of my four favorite knights!” Crusch, Felix, and a large man in a butler suit approached the group.

“Ah! Crusch! I've been looking forward to seeing you again!” Emilia was radiating happiness at the thought that she was making so many friends.

The butler strode forward, walking up to Subaru, glaring down at him.

“Grandson,” he looked over to Reinhard, “is this the knight Felix spoke of? The one you trained?”

“Honored Grandfather,” Reinhard seemed slightly startled, “yes, along with Julius who also trained him, this is the one.”

 _Grandson?_ Subaru thought.

The butler eyed Subaru for a few moments, then bowed, "Wilhelm Trias, at your service. Felix would not stop singing your praises after he witnessed your bout at the knight-gathering. I must apologize to you for the shameful treatment you endured at the hands of my son, Heinkel."

Subaru put his hands forward, overwhelmed, “ah! Wilhelm-san! There's no need to apologize! I'm sure Heinkel had his reasons to do what he did!” Then he relaxed a bit, “plus, giving me the opportunity to show off a bit made my teachers look pretty good, I like to think.”

“Indeed. Should the opportunity arise,” a small smile graced the old man's face, “I hope to stand beside you in battle and see your skills for myself.”

Pleased with the exchange, Crusch interjected, “It's almost time to get started, we should take our places in the hall. I look forward to hearing about your stances for the direction of this country.”

The group began making their way toward the Great Hall, where the future awaited. The camps intermingled and laughed as they walked.

One could get the impression that no matter the outcome of the Royal Selection, these people were all destined to be friends.

***********************************************************************************

As they took their places in the front row, Crusch, who was next to Emilia, leaned over to whisper as she nodded toward a strawberry-blonde woman in a red dress, "That's Priscilla Barielle, the other candidate. Her personality is...strange. I'm sure you will understand what I mean when she pleads her case."

Subaru was looking around, awestruck at the number of important-looking people who had gathered in the Great Hall. Even the knight-gathering hadn't held a candle to this. A flash of purple to his right caught his attention, as as he looked his breath caught in his throat.

Striding toward them with a blank face was Roswaal Mathers.

Subaru nudged Emilia, who turned to him, he nodded and she followed his gaze. A small gasp escaped from her as Roswaal stopped in front of them.

"Emilia-sama, Subaru-kun," his words seemed slightly forced, "I have heard that your sigil has made its way back to you, this is good news."

"It didn't make its way back to her," Subaru chided, "she killed the assassin that took it."

Roswaal crooked an eyebrow, "Is that so?" He regarded Emilia, "then perhaps there is more to this girl than I thought," Subaru thought he might have detected a faint hint of remorse in Roswaal's voice.

 _Time to plant the seed for the plan to add to our combat strength,_ Subaru decided.

『Handsome Husbando』, Setting 1! He flipped the switch in his mind and directed it at Roswaal.

“You're lucky Roswaal,” Emilia pointed at him, eyebrows furrowed, “Subaru decided to forgive you for what you did, and eventually I did as well with his urging.”

Roswaal's eyes slightly widened, and his breath seemed to hitch ever so slightly.

“I see,” the clown seemed genuinely surprised at this.

“Roswaal,” Subaru caught his attention, “I want to schedule a visit to your mansion. There is a proposition that I'd like to make. Unfortunately, we can't discuss it here. But make no mistake, it's very important.”

Turning back to Subaru, a slight smile crept onto the Margrave's face, “so be it, Subaru-kun. I shall have my staff make the arrangements. Emilia-sama, I look forward to hearing your address. And Subaru, congratulations on your knighthood. I hear you made quite a splash at your ceremony.”

“Well I was trained by Reinhard, after all,” Subaru nodded at him.

“I must be going, the time is upon us,” giving a slight bow, Roswaal turned and headed to the gallery of nobles.

As his form shrank, Subaru flipped the switch in his mind, cutting off the power of his Authority. Roswaal's gait seemed to stutter ever so slightly, but it was barely noticeable.

An old man wearing robes took the stage, and clearing his throat, waited for the crowd to become silent.

“Welcome, everyone, to the first gathering of the candidates of the Royal Selection for the Throne of Lugunica!” His words echoed off the walls, “I am Miklotov McMahon, a member of the Sage Council, which has been guiding this country in the absence of a ruler, as well as administrating this Royal Selection!”

He looked at the candidates and their camps gathered in the front row. "Which among the candidates chosen by the Dragon Volcanica will be the first to make their case for the throne?”

The strawberry blonde woman, Priscilla, moved to ascend the stage. Arriving next to the old man, her voice began to ring out loudly. “This event is pointless, for mineself wishes to ascend to this country's throne, and mineself has the luck of the gods behind me,” confidently, she addressed the gathered people, “whatsoever mineself wishes for comes to me without fail, and becoming this country's Queen shall be no different.”

“Priscilla-sama,” Miklotov said, “please present your proof of candidacy to all gathered here.”

Reaching between her ample bosom, she took out her sigil and held it high for all to see. The red stone in the middle glowed brightly. Murmuring swept across the crowd, having seen proof of candidacy for the first time. Satisfied, Priscilla stepped down from the stage and returned to her place in the front row.

“Which candidate shall speak next?” Miklotov looked expectantly at the various camps.

"I suppose I'll get up there and take a gander at this crowd!" Anastasia ascended the stage and turned to face everyone present. She reached into her coat and produced her own sigil, which also glowed brightly as she held it high.

“People of Lugunica, I am Anastasia Hoshin, of Kararagi!” She began, “I have single-handedly turned around the economy of that entire country, which was previously in shambles! I have adopted the name Hoshin, a moniker that I earned in performing this endeavor! Should you elect me, I can promise that every child will go to bed with a full stomach, and every man and woman will have gainful employment! Y'all vote for me! Have a nice day!”

The crowd was impressed with the girl and decent applause sounded out.

Anastasia returned to her place next to Julius, who leaned toward her.

“Well done, my lady.”

“Thanks a bunch, Julius,” she replied with a smile.

“Who among you will go next?” Miklotov queried.

“I shall!” Crusch strode to the stage with a confident gait.

"Citizens! Nobles! Knights! Too long have we relied on higher powers in the defense of this country! The dragon has lent us no aid in any of the conflicts we have found ourselves in during the last several hundred years!" Her tone was that of a military commander speaking to her troops, "as ruler, I would dissolve this covenant, and strengthen our military to levels not seen since the age of heroes, 400 years ago! It would be tantamount to the return of the Lion King Fourier Lugnica!" She raised her glowing sigil high, "a vote for me is a vote for secure borders and peace with our neighboring countries! The name of Lugunica will be spoken with fear by other nations! My name is Crusch Karston! Thank you!"

There was healthy applause as she exited the stage.

“Crusch-sama,” Felix whispered as she returned to his side, “that was magnificent!”

“Now let's see what sort of spectacle Emilia and Subaru have prepared for us,” she replied eyes wandering to the duo.

Miklotov looked to Emilia, who began to move to the stage. As she climbed it, whispers began forming among the crowd.

“Is that an elf!?”

“I heard she was a half-elf.”

"A silver-haired half-elf? Is she serious!?"

Some of the words being whispered by many in the crowd.

Subaru narrowed his eyes slightly.

 _Keep it cool, Subaru, stick to the plan,_ he chastised himself.

“My name is Emilia, I am a half-elf from Elior Forest, and my campaign is sponsored by none other than the Sword Saint, Reinhard Van Astrea!” She started strong.

The crowd grew quiet at the invocation of the Sword Saint's name.

"How does a silver-haired half-elf think she can waltz in here and take part in the selection for our next ruler?” One of the nobles in the gallery was shaking his fist in anger, “this is preposterous!

“I am here because the Dragon Volcanica chose me to be!” Emilia produced her glowing sigil, and the crowd grew noisy once again.

Another noble piped up, “Sir Reinhard, are we to expect that you endorse this abomination!?”

Ascending the stage, Reinhard stood next to Emilia, “I more than endorse her, I fight for her as well,” the crowd grew silent once again as Reinhard turned to Emilia, “I believe Emilia-sama is the best choice for ruler of this country based on the fact that I know she possesses many traits which would make for a great ruler.”

“Reinhard is correct!” Now Subaru was also at Emilia's side.

"It's the Knight of Love!" Murmurs in the crowd, many of the gathered Knights had seen Subaru's duel and induction to their order.

“The young swordsman who uses spirit-arts!” Many heads turned to regard the black-haired knight.

“Emilia possesses a kind heart!” Subaru began, “one that will show mercy when required!”

“She possesses a stout sense of justice!” Reinhard added, “and punishes those who deserve it!”

“I possess a love for all the people of this country!” Emilia took a step forward, “I would see that everyone be safe, secure, and free of threat from those who would do them harm! That goes for the lowest common thug, to supernatural menaces such as mabeasts, and Great Mabeasts like the White Whale, Great Rabbit, and Black Serpent! We will deal with them all!”

An exciting air began to grip the crowd, as they spoke of the possibilities of a country without these threats to everyday people.

"I witnessed the extermination of the Guthunter at Emilia's hand!" Subaru looked at her, "as an incredibly powerful magic-user she did it with one shot!"

“Her and this knight, Natsuki Subaru, as well as myself were involved in the slaying of the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella!” Reinhard omitted Capella's surname, as that would only be a distraction.

Some in the crowd were now shouting with enthusiasm.

Emilia pointed to the sky and struck a pose she had learned from her beloved. "My name is Emilia! Just Emilia! It is my intention as ruler to keep the citizens of this country safe from threats of all name and shape! From common thugs to the Witch Cult itself!"

Miklotov chimed in from where the Sage Council sat, “But Reinhard, you were to bring the fifth candidate as well, but I see no more among the ones gathered!”

“The fifth candidate is here, right where they should be.” Reinhard smiled.

“Where?” Miklotov gestured wildly, “I see no other candidates!”

“As I said, right where he should be, next to Emilia-sama's side.”

Subaru took a step forward, putting him next to the half-elf girl.

The room went silent as he reached into his knight uniform's jacket, and brought out a sigil, holding it high.

It was glowing a fierce crimson.

An explosion of voices filled the hall, as until now all of the candidates had been women.

Miklotov stood and made his way to where the trio stood on stage and waved for the crowd to be silent. "Reinhard, you cannot support both of these candidates! The rules state that a noble house can only back one candidate, and you officially support Emilia!"

“The rules state that I can only support one campaign, Miklotov-sama,” Reinhard responded.

“We intend to run a single campaign with two candidates!” Emilia addressed the crowd, “we will both ascend to the throne, as King and Queen, both chosen by the Dragon Volcanica!”

Subaru added, "after the Selection, we intend to wed! It was going to happen whether we participated in the Selection or not!"

Emilia smiled at him when he said this.

“Vote for us!” Emilia drove it home, “the only King and Queen selected by the Dragon itself!”

As the three descended from the stage, thunderous applause filled the Great Hall.

Within the gallery of nobles, a purple-clad clown smirked.

 _Veeeery interesting,_ he thought.

***********************************************************************************


	15. Battle Shonen Training and the Mathers Domain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru and Emilia undertake more training to get stronger under the tutelage of Reinhard, and then the time to visit Roswaal's mansion finally comes.

Chapter 15- Shonen Battle Training and the Mathers Domain

Emilia and Subaru stood at attention, like soldiers in formation. Emilia wore baggy white canvas pants and a simple short-sleeved gray shirt. Subaru was dressed similarly, but all in black. Reinhard, ever in his Knight uniform, paced back and forth in front of them. They were on the wide training ground of the Astrea Estate.

“The enemies we will be facing in the future are ruthless, powerful, and difficult to combat,” he spun to face both of them, “therefore you will have to endure special training until we receive word from the Margrave that he is ready to receive you at his Manor.”

“Both of you possess exceptional combat strength,” Reinhard continued, “and you are to be commended for being as strong as you are now, Subaru especially. But my Divine Blessing of Training allows me to see the chinks in your armor, so to speak.”

He stopped in front of Emilia, and turned to face her, "elves and half-elves are exceptionally strong, one of the strongest races overall. You possess immense physical strength, agility, and speed. Also, your pool of mana and gate are massive, giving you a high level of offensive power."

Making a serious face, Emilia nodded.

“However, your potential is much greater,” Reinhard began pacing again, “your offense is sufficient, for now, but your defense is lacking. The dodging abilities you picked up by observing the Guthunter are admirable, but your body is completely untrained, so your true potential has yet to emerge. For the foreseeable future, Emilia-sama will train her body in the afternoons.”

"Yes, Sword Saint!" Emilia was going all-in on the military-style feel of the situation, she seemed to be enjoying herself, for now at least.

 _I won't have to spend my afternoons reading those stinky old books!_ She thought to herself.

"Subaru," Reinhard moved in front of him, "your main weakness is the opposite, ironically. Your body has been trained to near its upper limit, and your defense is about as good as it's ever going to be, however you still have room to improve your offensive power."

Subaru was surprised, he thought he had reached his limits and was mostly satisfied with the capabilities he currently had.

“Your spirits, they remain quasi-spirits and have yet to evolve to full-spirits,” a smile graced his lips, “this is a problem that Julius has faced as well. Luckily, my Divine Blessing has brought me a solution.”

 _Oh? Does he know how to make them evolve?_ Subaru was in awe of Reinhard's cheat-engine Divine Blessing.

"You will split your training each afternoon," Reinhard was pacing once again, "physical training first, then mana manipulation after that. Spirits evolve by increasing the amount of mana they can both control and contain, and much in the same way we increased your mana pool, we will train up your spirits to become stronger, that they might evolve into full-spirits."

“Does Julius know of this method to strengthen spirits?” Subaru wondered, “I would feel bad if we withheld this training method from him.”

An approving smile came upon Reinhard's face, "I am pleased that you are considering our mutual friend. I intend to send a message to Julius informing him of the methods my blessing has uncovered."

Reinhard stepped in front of them, between the two candidates and pointed an index finger at each of them, “Your strengths will be complimentary, Emilia-sama can fight long-range, and Subaru can act as vanguard,” then he crossed his arms over each other, pointing to each of them with the opposite hand from before, “you will become a nigh-unbeatable fighting force, protecting each other's blind spots and exerting great offensive power.”

Uncrossing his arms, he placed a hand on each of their shoulders, "but a powerful body is built not only in training but in the kitchen. I have designed a meal plan which will help to maximize our efforts. The kitchen staff has received this plan and will act accordingly,” turning around, he walked a few paces away, then turned back to them with his hands clasped behind his back, “I hope you like chicken breast.”

With that, the two candidates began training to optimize their capabilities in earnest. Subaru trained his body in the first half of each afternoon to keep it in tip-top condition, then he communed with his spirits in the second half of each afternoon. As they worked to manipulate and increase their control over mana, they slowly increased their capacity to use it. Emilia, for her part, participated in agility drills, honing her already considerable athletic ability toward its absolute sharpest point. She also had the benefit of a gymnastics instructor, who Reinhard had hired to teach her to move with cat-like precision and agility. Strangely enough, this instructor was a female demi-human with cat features not unlike Felix, named Lynx.

A training area for Emilia's gymnastics had been erected in a matter of days, offering several ways for her to exert herself.

Now, as she was doing parallel bar training, her instructor was just as ruthless as Reinhard had requested she be.

“Put more power in your wrists! And bend your legs at a sharper angle as you come around for the dismount!” Wearing an outfit not unlike a blue leotard, the demi-human watched as Emilia twirled around the high bar once, twice, then flew spinning through the air and somersaulting as she came to land on her feet.

“Wow, Emilia-tan! You're a natural at this stuff!” Subaru watched her as he paused from a round of pushups.

“Less talking, more pushing!” Reinhard was having no laziness from his student.

Groaning, Subaru resumed his exercise, eager to get to the part of the day when he could begin communing with his spirits.

***********************************************************************************

_I am sooooo exhausted,_ Emilia thought as she shuffled toward her room in the manor. Another grueling day of training had drawn to its conclusion. Both Reinhard and Lynx were hard on their students, but their efforts were showing after five weeks of training.

In her room, Emilia arrived in front of the mirror that was part of her vanity. The mirror was covered with a sheet, as Emilia had always been averse to looking at her reflection.

 _But Subaru always tells me I'm beautiful-this and gorgeous-that._ Truth be told, she hadn't seen her reflection for many years now.

Gathering courage, she pulled the sheet off of the mirror and gazed at the girl who now met her eyes. Looking back at her was a silver-haired half-elf in baggy workout clothes. Looking behind her to ensure that the door was shut, she began to undress, stripping down to her undergarments.

Again she regarded herself in the mirror.

On her stomach, her abs had begun to show. Her legs were toned, showing small amounts of powerful muscle. She flexed her arms and saw that they had become quite toned as well.

 _My body's changed,_ she thought to herself, _I look like an athlete now._

Leaning in, she looked at her face. Unsure if she was ugly, pretty, or somewhere in-between, she gave up trying to assess this part of her.

She decided it was time for a bath before dinner. Donning a large fluffy robe, she made her way down the hall toward the bathing area, coming to a halt as she passed Subaru's room, noticing the door was cracked just a bit. She could detect movement from inside, so she drew close and looked through the small opening.

 _Subaru won't mind if I check in on him,_ she told herself.

But what greeted her eyes was more than she had expected.

A black-haired man stood before her, only wearing an undergarment. He was stretching, bending back and forth to work the knots out of his muscles.

And oh, what considerable muscles they were.

He was faced somewhat toward her, so she could see his chest, where strong pectoral muscles flexed as he moved. Pronounced abs could be seen below this.

 _Ohhhh woooooow!_ A strange feeling began to stir in her, beginning in her stomach.

Subaru turned, she could see his back now, incredibly well-toned and full of pronounced muscles. His legs bore powerful muscles as well, rippling as he moved. The feeling in her increased, as she could feel her heart rate starting to shoot up.

 _He's soooo seeexy!_ A term she had learned from Josephina sprang to her mind.

Lost in her thoughts about the display before her, she leaned forward a bit too far, and the door creaked slightly as she accidentally pushed on it.

“Huh?” Subaru turned toward the sound.

"Eep!" Trying to flee down the hallway, Emilia tripped on the bottom of her oversized robe and went down to the floor in a fluffy heap.

Opening the door, a still shirtless and pants-less Subaru emerged from the room.

Looking down at the pile of fluff before him, Subaru could spy silver hair within the mess.

"Emilia-tan?" He lifted the top of the robe, seeing her face peering out from within.

She was incredibly flushed.

"Baka Subaru! Put some clothes on!" She jumped to her feet and began to scurry away.

He looked down at his state of dress as she retreated, his face grew red and he bolted to his room. Closing the door, he wondered to himself.

_Was Emilia-tan being a pervy-peeper just now!?_

***********************************************************************************

Dinner that evening was an awkward affair, Reinhard noted, as Emilia and Subaru were both red-faced the entire time. No conversation was had as the couple timidly chewed on yet another meal of chicken breast, rice, and vegetables. Reinhard sat at the end of the table, as usual, while Emilia was to his left and Subaru was to his right.

“I expect that we will hear from the Margrave soon,” Reinhard attempted to break the silence, “what is your plan to bring him and his house's fighting power to our side?”

“I'm going to use my Authority at low power,” Subaru stated, “to try to convince him that being part of our faction would be to his advantage.”

“I see,” Reinhard leaned back, “I can't say that I condone the use of that questionable ability to manipulate a member of the nobility, but you are the candidate, not me. Also, speaking discreetly, I have never been much of a fan of Roswaal Mathers. I find him to be...offputting.”

“You can say that again,” Emilia joined the conversation, “normally I would be against it, but Roswaal deserves to be put in his place after what he did to us.”

“It was incredibly rash, to be sure,” Reinhard had been shocked when he learned that the Margrave had abandoned the duo to possible starvation or worse.

"One variable that I'm concerned with is the maids," Subaru was thinking out loud now, "the pink one, in particular, is completely loyal to Roswaal. She blasted me across a meeting room into a wall when I approached him to yell at him."

“They shouldn't pose much of a threat to us as we are now, Subaru,” Emilia smiled softly, “a lot has changed since we left the Mathers domain.”

“I'm just worried that if they figure out that I'm influencing Roswaal with my power that the two of them will go berserk,” Subaru continued, “the maids strike me as being hot-headed.”

“We can handle them,” Emilia was confident.

Subaru gave her a grin, “you've changed, Emilia-tan. You're a lot stronger and more confident now.”

“I have the two of you to thank for that,” her voice was quiet, “I owe the both of you so much.”

“You owe me nothing, Emilia-sama,” Reinhard was smiling now as well, “I have chosen to back you of my own volition, as I believe you and Subaru to be the best people to ascend to the throne.”

“You don't owe me either,” Subaru told her, “being by your side is the only thing I wanted from the start. I came to this country with nothing, no money, no knowledge, no prospects. You saved me in that alley the moment we met,” he took a deep breath, “to be honest way back then that was the moment I started falling in love with you.”

“Subaru...” Emilia wasn't sure what to say.

"I have a request, Reinhard," Subaru turned to the red-haired man, "we can handle Roswaal and his maids. I'd like you to start investigating the location of our targets. The Whale, the Great Rabbit, and the Black Serpent in particular. I'd prefer to target them first, as I believe their elimination will be more straightforward than hunting the Witch Cult. The Archbishops are a particularly big mystery, and I feel that we need more information before we attempt to tackle that problem."

“Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you to the Mathers domain? The Margrave can be a very dangerous man, after all.” Reinhard was hesitant to let them go alone.

“I think he learned his lesson after the last time,” Subaru said, “we'll bring his fighting power to our side, along with those who serve him.”

***********************************************************************************

The next afternoon, Subaru was at the training ground, preparing to do weighted squats as Reinhard looked on. Subaru had drawn up plans for a weight-lifting power rack, as well as barbells. Reinhard found the concept intriguing and had the devices made immediately.

Sliding several custom-made iron plates onto each side of the barbell, Subaru nodded with satisfaction.

“225 pounds should be a good starting point!” He mused, “I've already gotten warmed up so let's give it a go! It's been a while since I've done this!”

As Reinhard watched, Subaru stepped under the bar, and placing it on his shoulders, lifted it off of the rack. Keeping his back straight, he bent his legs and descended to a squatting position, then he began to straighten his legs and stood up with the weight, re-racking the bar.

“Too easy!” Subaru was pleasantly surprised, “we need more weight!”

He repeated the process several times over, stepping up the amount of weight each time. 315 pounds, 405 pounds, 495 pounds, then finally 585 pounds had been placed on the bar.

By this point, Emilia and Lynx had taken a break and wandered over to watch him.

“Subaru are you using mana to lift that weight?” Emilia was curious.

“Not so far, it's been all me to this point!” Subaru was excited that his strength had developed this much. He never would have dreamed that Reinhard's harsh training would have brought him this far.

Stepping under the bar, he once again descended with the weight. Reaching the low point of the maneuver, he began to stand with it.

 _Fuck this is heavy!_ His lift began to stall about halfway up, so he channeled a small amount of mana into his legs to complete the squat. Standing fully, he re-racked the weight once again and turned to Reinhard.

“Building up your body like this is essential,” Reinhard said, “it is the vessel through which your abilities will flow. A weak vessel cannot withstand much power, but a strong vessel such as yours can convey more power many times over.”

Satisfied, Subaru turned to Emilia, “so did I look cool, Emilia-tan?”

“You looked suuuuper cool!” She clasped her hands in front of her.

Unable to resist, Subaru approached her, and their lips met in a passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around her back, and she laced her fingers into the hair on the back of his head.

Lynx was unsure how to behave in this situation, so she half turned and tried to direct her attention elsewhere as a blush formed on her face.

Reinhard was used to their shenanigans by now, so he simply waited for them to decide they'd had enough.

 _I hope I will not be waiting here all afternoon,_ the Sword Saint mused.

Gerard, the butler, could be seen making his way to where the group stood. He carried an envelope in his right hand. Giving it to Reinhard, he bowed.

“A message, sir. From Margrave Mathers,” the butler then turned and walked back in the direction of the mansion.

Opening the envelope's seal, Reinhard took out a letter and read it swiftly.

Emilia and Subaru, hearing what the butler had said, broke off their kiss and now waited expectantly for Reinhard to convey its contents. Their hands were still intertwined as they looked at the Sword Saint.

"To Royal Selection candidates Emilia and Natsuki Subaru, salutations," Reinhard read the letter out loud. "I would cordially like to invite you to the Mathers estate to discuss matters regarding the Royal Selection, and the subjugation of threats faced by the people of the Kingdom of Lugunica. We will be prepared for your arrival in two days' time of your receiving this letter. Signed, Roswaal Mathers. P.S. Congratulations on your engagement, may the Od Laguna favor your union."

“Very cordial, let's hope he can be trusted,” Emilia's eyes had narrowed slightly.

“About that, I have a suggestion regarding how to handle the Margrave, should he pledge assistance to our cause,” Reinhard had a confident look, “a contract should be levied with him, one of the soul-binding nature. To ensure he stays true to his word.”

“I'm not terribly excited about the concept of a soul-bind with that person,” Emilia said, “but if it keeps him on the up-and-up I see no other alternative.”

***********************************************************************************

Subaru was looking out the window of the dragon-drawn carriage as they sped toward the Mathers domain. The last time he made this trip, he'd been ensnared with trying to figure out why he had been brought to this world, and by whom.

But now he had a purpose, and that purpose sat next to him in the form of a beautiful half-elf, whose head now lay on his shoulder as she dozed. They would arrive at Roswaal's mansion in a little while, but he wanted to let her rest a little longer. Looking back out the window, he spied a massive tree retreating in the distance, a monolith in the middle of a wide plain.

 _Flugel's tree, Reinhard said we'd pass near it on the way here,_ the Sword Saint had begun his inquiry into the possible locations of the Great Mabeasts shortly before Subaru and Emilia left for Roswaal's mansion this morning. The two of them wore the same outfits they'd worn to the selection, as Subaru had grown accustomed to the knight's uniform. He had to admit that wearing it gave him a sense of confidence, one that perhaps he was no longer a nobody.

Bringing his sword in front of his face, he unsheathed it a few inches. His visage was reflected in the shiny black blade. He'd been trying to think of a proper name for it, but most of the ideas he had were chuuni as hell so he'd yet to name the amazing weapon.

 _I'll be forever grateful to Reinhard once all of this is over,_ he pondered. _Not only did he gift me my sword, but he's also done so much for the two of us. We'd be dead and left to rot on a mountainside if not for him._

He turned to look at the face of his intended, a slight blush spreading across his cheeks.

_Mom, Dad, I wish there was a way for me to let you know that I'm ok. That I'm doing great. I even have a beautiful and kind girl who I love, and she loves me back._

A single tear slid down his cheek as his thoughts strayed to his parents, and how ungrateful he had acted toward them. He'd truly been a waste of a son, wiling away his hours in his room as he retreated from the world outside.

_But I've been given a second chance._

His conviction became strong at that moment. He was determined to become the type of person who could make a difference. Someone his parents would be proud of.

As they entered the forest at the edge of the plain, he decided it was time to wake her up.

_It won't be long, now._

***********************************************************************************

Disembarking from the carriage, Subaru offered his lady a hand as she stepped down.

“Thank you, sir knight!” She smiled widely as she used his title.

Thanking Reinhard's carriage driver, they turned to find not two, but three maids in front of them. The blue one, the pink one, and...a tall blonde?

The three bowed, and simultaneously said, “Greetings Emilia-sama, Subaru-sama.”

Rem, the blue-haired one, stepped forward, “please allow us to convey your luggage to your guest room.”

"Room? Singular?" Subaru noticed this right away, "not to be a choosing beggar, but even though we are courting and engaged, I feel it might be improper for us to stay in the same room. As candidates, we have a certain image we must maintain. Right, Emilia-tan?"

He turned to look at her, but she was blushing and rubbing the tips of her index fingers together. Her eyes gazed down at her hands. “I don't mind if we stay in the same room, Subaru. We don't get to spend very much quality time together, after all.”

“Eh!?” Subaru was flustered.

_What is this development!?_

Rem looked back and forth between the two of them.

“One room will be fine,” Subaru squeaked out.

“Then please follow me, Frederica and my sister will take care of your things,” Rem turned and walked toward the mansion.

 _Frederica must be the blonde,_ thought Subaru.

As they followed her through the large building, Emilia and Subaru began to tense up slightly. This could go very smoothly, or it could go terribly wrong very quickly. They would simply have to wait and see how things played out. Subaru patted the hilt of his sword, which gave him some comfort.

Arriving at a familiar set of twin doors, Rem knocked, “Roswaal-sama, your guests have arrived.”

“Ooohhh I see, please bring them in!” A voice called from the other side.

Entering the room, the duo could see that nothing had changed, and once again a clown in a purple suit sat at a large desk.

“Please do have a seeeeeaat Emilia-sama and Subaru-samaaaaa.” A small smile graced the clown's face as they moved to once again sit in the two chairs in front of his desk.

Before they could say anything, the doors opened again as Ram entered, bearing a tea set. She sat it down on Roswaal's desk and began preparing tea for them. Subaru glimpsed at Rem and thought he caught her glaring at him, but the angry face dissipated as quickly as he saw it.

 _This is exactly the setting that I didn't want to find ourselves in,_ Subaru thought to himself, _the twin maids and Roswaal, this room could turn into a powder keg._

“So what can I dooooo for you two?” Roswaal started the conversation, “it has beeeen quite a while since we last spoke.”

“You heard our speech at the Royal Selection,” Subaru began, “we intend to take on some powerful enemies. The reason we came to you is that we want to add your fighting strength to our own."

“And not just you,” Emilia picked up the conversation, “but also those who serve you. Your maids, for example, also have some fighting strength.”

“I refuse,” Rem suddenly entered the conversation, “Roswaal-sama, you should know that that one over there,” she pointed at Subaru, “smells of The Witch! I refuse to fight at the side of a FILTHY WITCH CULTIST.”

“Oh ho?” Roswaal looked from Rem to Subaru, “why would Subaru-sama smell of the witch?”

Standing, Subaru put out his hands, “hold on, there's a reasonable explanation for that.”

Emilia also stood, "that's right! After we left here, we were attacked by one of the Cult's Sin Archbishops, who was defeated by Reinhard. The Archbishop's power then went to Subaru, that would explain why you smell The Witch on him."

"That is a lie," Rem spat, "he had the smell upon him when he first arrived with you and my sister from the capital."

The rattle of chains could be heard as a large morning star flail appeared in Rem's hands.

 _Shit! This is deteriorating quickly!_ Subaru was starting to panic. It didn't make sense when she said that he had smelled of The Witch before Roswaal had expelled them. _I didn't get the Lust Witch Factor until after Capella died!_

Raising his hands, Subaru tried to placate the blue-haired girl. "You have to understand, I'm not involved with the Witch Cult in any way, other than them trying to kill us several times."

“More lies,” Rem prepared to throw her morning star at him, but as she started to toss it, Emilia intervened. Lightning quick, she appeared between Rem and Subaru, punching the blue-haired girl in the face. Rem was sent crashing against the far wall.

“Rem!” Ram moved to go after Emilia, but Subaru leaped in front of her.

“Payback is a bitch!” He gave her the same palm strike to the chest that she had once delivered upon him, sending her crashing through the window behind her.

Emilia had moved to where Rem had fallen and now held her dangling in the air by her neck with one hand. As Rem kicked and struggled in Emilia's grip, Ram reappeared in the window, having jumped back up to it from outside. Blood was running down her face, which had several cuts from the window's shattered glass. Quickly drawing his sword, Subaru spun around and leaped to Emilia's side, and with a sweeping motion brought his sword to Rem's forehead, where a pink glowing horn had appeared.

 _They're onis!_ He thought, _no wonder they're so quick to anger._

“Stand down!” Subaru bellowed, “or she loses her horn!”

Ram stopped in her tracks, fury evident in her eyes, “leave Rem alone! We've suffered enough at the hands of you Witch Cultists!”

“I told you I'm not a-”

<SQUELCH>

Something had struck Subaru from behind. He looked down, to see a bloody white-gloved hand protruding from his chest.

In his left ear, he heard the clown murmur, “nobody attacks my staff. Not even Selection Candidates.”

"SUBARU!!!" Emilia flung Rem in a backhanded motion, and the blue-haired girl crashed into her sister, both of them crumbling to the floor.

Roswaal delivered a front-kick to Subaru's back, sending him careening into the panicked Emilia. As he crashed into her, she deftly grabbed him, then gently lowered him to the ground.

Crying, she started a healing spell where Roswaal's hand had ruptured his chest.

“SUBARU!!! STAY WITH ME!!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!”

Eyes half-lidded, and going into shock, Subaru looked up at her as she was calling to him. A purple-clad leg swiftly swung by, and empty space now occupied where Emilia's head had just been.

_EMILIA!!! NO!!!_

Having lost the ability to speak or move, much less cry out, a look of incredible pain came upon Subaru's face as the realization hit him.

His beloved had been murdered by that fucking clown.

And very soon, he would be dead as well.

Tearing up, regret washed over the fledgling knight as his life washed away.

Then, Natsuki Subaru died.


	16. The Negotiator and the Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru has returned by death after Roswaal killed him and Emilia. How will he handle Roswaal's fraying mind?

Chapter 16- The Negotiator and the Spirit

“So what can I dooooo for you two?” Roswaal started the conversation, “it has beeeen quite a while since we last spoke.”

Subaru blinked. Then, looking around he took in his surroundings.

 _I died again,_ he thought, trying not to panic.

He looked at Emilia, whose gaze was pointed back at him.

“Subaru?” She seemed a bit worried about him.

“Ah, sorry, let's get to it,” he tried to recover the conversation.

 _Thank God she's ok,_ he tried to shove what had happened to her to the back of his mind.

Quickly calculating the state of things, he realized that nothing was as it seemed. Roswaal was currently a lot more unhinged than he had believed, and the same seemed to be the situation with the twin maids.

 _Why is Roswaal so deranged right now?_ It was a question he'd have to save for later.

_Time to use my trump card._

_『Handsome Husbando』- Level one- Activate!_

He flipped the switch, sending the invisible power at the Margrave and his two maids.

Rem's hardened face softened somewhat, as she stole one or two small glances at Subaru.

_One down._

Ram's indifferent look seemed to warm slightly.

_Two down._

He looked to Roswaal, who now had a small smile on his face.

_Maybe three. It doesn't work as well on men._

“First we should clear the air. I don't know if any of you can detect it or not,” Subaru made a gamble, “but the scent of the witch lingers upon me. It's something that I know about even though I can't smell it myself. I don't know why I have this scent, and it's caused me problems in the past when someone was able to detect it, so if it's something that any of you can detect, please accept my apology as there is nothing I can do about it.”

Emilia was looking at him with surprise, she hadn't known this about him.

A few seconds of silence passed before a feminine voice chimed in.

“It's true, Roswaal-sama, I can smell it on him,” Rem confirmed what Subaru had said, and this time her voice was much softer.

“I seeeee Subaru-sama. What an interesting peeeerson you are,” Roswaal seemed to hang on to his sanity for the moment, at least.

"It's because of an encounter with a SIn Archbishop," he crafted a clever way to reinforce his message without tipping off Rem, "the bearer of the Lust Witch Factor was killed while I was nearby, and her ability passed to me."

"You possess a Witch Factor..." Roswaal seemed fascinated with the prospect, "I am quite familiar with a former bearer of one of these Authorities. In the right hands, the power they bequeath can be very useful."

"We wanted to have a meeting with you because we seek allies to fight powerful opponents. We intend to kill the Three Great Mabeasts as well as hunt down the Witch Cult."

Rem and Ram emitted very small gasps at this declaration.

"We hope that you, along with the combatants you employ, will ally with us. The plan is to stack up enough achievements to comfortably ensure our place at the top of the Royal Selection. Our speech at the Palace impressed the nobles, Sage Council, and the knights. Now we need to win over the common people," Emilia finished this statement with an assertive nod.

“We would also like your assistance in gathering other capable fighters,” Subaru continued, “it's true that we have the Sword Saint on our side, but he can't be everywhere at once. On the off-chance that the Cult attacks en masse, we need the strength to counter such an attack.”

Leaning back in his chair, Roswaal seemed to fall into thought. His maids also watched him, interested in what he would say.

After an agonizing amount of time, the clown leaned back forward, “if I agree to this arrangement, what's in it for me?”

_Time to ratchet up the trump card!_

Mentally pointing a change in the Authority's hold on Roswaal, Subaru turned up the juice.

_『Handsome Husbando』- Level two- Activate! Enthrall the clown!_

“You would have the favor of a King and Queen, Roswaal,” Subaru smiled as he felt the power take hold of the Margrave.

A broad smile came across Roswaal's face, as he considered the implications of having two monarchs personally indebted to him.

"Also, a contract of mutual protection would be set in place, soul-binding, of course."

“Oooooohh HOOOooooo!” Roswaal seemed thrilled at the idea.

"You might not know this Roswaal, but both of us are a loooooot stronger than we were when we left here, so having our protection could be very beneficial," Emilia added, "Subaru is a very powerful spirit-knight now, and my magic and physical fighting abilities have expanded greatly."

If one didn't know any better, they would think Roswaal's eyes were about to roll back in his head.

 _I was wrong about these two!_ The clown was excited. _They will make for wonderful allies!_

Subaru's smile was slightly smug, he was about to drive the deal home.

_『Handsome Husbando』- Level three- Activate! Subjugate the clown!_

“Of course, there's one more thing, after we are crowned,” Subaru went for the kill, “your noble rank will be raised to that of Duke.”

“BOHAAAHHHH!!!” the clown fell out of his chair, in the throes of ecstasy.

“Roswaal-sama!” Both maids rushed to help him back to his chair.

 _Oops, turn it down a little now,_ Subaru decided. _I don't want the maids to get suspicious._

_『Handsome Husbando』- Level two- Activate! Calm down, clown!_

Panting, Roswaal slammed a hand on the table, “I agree to your terms! Let us make the contract post-haste!”

“Actually,” Emilia began, “there is one more thing we would like to request.”

“Name it! Name it and you shall have it!” Roswaal jumped from his chair and leaned forward with his hands on the desk.

Emilia and Subaru looked at each other and smiled.

Emilia then turned to Roswaal and said a name.

“Beatrice.”

***********************************************************************************

Having forged the contract with Roswaal, Subaru had slowly turned down the effect of『Handsome Husbando』until he relinquished its hold on Roswaal and the maids, the latter of which he never hit with anything above level one. Roswaal had given them information on how to find Beatrice and the method to get her to form a contract.

The duo now wondered the mansion in search of her.

Subaru didn't know his way around this mansion but Emilia did, so she led the way as they opened door after door in search of the great spirit.

“So what's this spirit like? Is she anything like Puck was?” Subaru hated to dredge up painful memories, but he wanted to know what they were in for.

Emilia thought for a moment, “not really, she's a little more quirky than Puck was. And instead of a flying cat, she has the form of a little girl. Also, she doesn't require a pyroxene crystal to house her at night, as she stays manifested all hours of the day.”

“I see,” Subaru said.

Suddenly, his feet stopped, as he could feel a presence behind the door they just passed.

Emilia stopped and turned back to him, “Subaru?”

“This is it,” he could feel it, “she's in here.”

“It can't hurt to check,” she walked up to the door and turned the knob, opening it slowly, “let's take a look.”

“Whoa!” The door opened to reveal a huge library, with thousands upon thousands of books neatly filed away on huge shelves. Subaru was astounded, “this is amazing!

“The Forbidden Library,” Emilia's voice was barely above a whisper, “I've never seen it for myself.”

"Why are you back in this mansion, elf-girl?" A high-pitched voice caught their attention, "I thought Roswaal removed you from here, in fact."

“Beatrice,” a small smile came to Emilia, ”it's been too long.”

A little girl, who looked to be around ten years old, sat before them on a small stepladder. She had an elaborate red dress with white trim, sky-blue eyes with butterfly-shaped pupils, and a tiny crown sat on top of her head. 

But her most distinguishing feature was her elaborate blonde hair, which was fixed into a set of twin drills.

She held a large black book in her hands, which she closed and gently sat on the table next to her.

“You didn't tell me we were looking for a drill-loli!!!” Subaru was excited at this amazing find.

Beatrice turned to Subaru, “who is this prattling nincompoop who spouts words Betty has never heard before, in fact?”

“This is Natsuki Subaru,” Emilia, with a gentle voice, replied to the girl, “he's a spirit-knight who's going to be my husband one day.”

“That could be a bad idea, I suppose,” Beatrice admonished the half-elf, “he seems strange, in fact. He smells of the witch as well, I suppose.”

“He _is_ strange!” Emilia giggled, preparing herself internally for what had to be done next, "but I can't smell the witch stink on him so that doesn't bother me."

“Where is Bubby?” The girl was asking after someone, “tell him to come out and play.”

"He...won't be coming to visit anymore, unfortunately."

 _Hold it together, Emilia!_ She told herself.

“What do you mean by that?” Beatrice made an angry face, “Bubby loves his big sister, I suppose!”

“Something bad happened, Beatrice...” Emilia's head hung down, and she knelt on one knee, “we were attacked by an assassin.”

Realization dawned on Subaru as he understood now who 'Bubby' was.

 _Oh no. They must have been close._ Averting his eyes, Subaru considered leaving the library so the two girls could talk.

_No. I need to be here for Emilia. This is a big deal for her._

“So Bubby defeated this assassin, I suppose?” The girl approached Emilia, then kneeled as well, wanting answers, “Emilia, where is he?” Beatrice had rarely used her name before.

“Hik-hik...he died Beatrice,” tears started streaming freely from Emilia's eyes, “he was taken from me by that assassin.”

A shattered look came upon Beatrice's face, as a full understanding of the situation came to her. Tears began to flow down the little girl's face as well, and she seemed to have lost the ability to hold herself up as she fell forward onto her hands.

"B-but Bubby was so strong! How is that possible!?"

“The assassin was strong, too,” Emilia's voice was just a whimper now, “but I got her, Beatrice, I destroyed her right then and there.”

“How did it happen?” Beatrice tilted her head up to look at Emilia. She was beginning to shake as she fought to hold herself together.

“She threw a sword at him,” Emilia lamented, “it was a cursed blade that sapped his strength,” Emilia raised her head to meet Beatrice's gaze, “it didn't take long after that.”

“Bubby is truly gone then?” the little girl's eyes shimmered as she pleaded with Emilia.

“P-Puck is gone. It's true.”

Beatrice crawled to Emilia, and slowly put her arms around the half-elf, and began to wail. Soon Emilia returned the embrace joined her, as the two girls mourned the loss of Puck together.

 _Time to give them some privacy._ Subaru walked to the other end of the library, so as not to disturb the grieving girls. A single tear rolled down his face as he sat down in a corner, head held low, wishing he could do more.

***********************************************************************************

Head raising slowly, Subaru cleared the sleepiness from his mind.

_I guess I fell asleep in the corner._

Standing up and brushing himself off, he made his way over to where the two girls had been. He found Emilia sitting and stroking a sleeping Beatrice's hair.

In a low voice, a red-eyed Emilia greeted him, “Hi.”

“Hey,” he kneeled in front of her, “she took it pretty hard, huh?”

“Yeah,” Emilia took a deep breath, “she cried herself to sleep.”

“I see,” he sat down next to her and pulled her head to his shoulder, “are you ok? That's the first time he came up since we left the forest. I don't think you ever got to properly grieve for him.”

“I feel better now,” she leaned into him, “but stay here for a while.”

In her lap, the head of the little spirit began to stir. Beatrice sat up, bleary-eyed, and took in her surroundings. Then her eyes opened all the way as what had transpired came to her mind.

“Betty fell asleep, I suppose,” she looked at the two young lovers in front of her, “you two are awful chummy, in fact.”

“Hello again, Beatrice,” Emilia gave her a small smile, “do you feel better now?”

“Betty feels a little better, I suppose,” she began to get to her feet, “but it still hurts Betty, in fact.”

"Me too, Beatrice," Emilia's eyes drifted downward, "me too."

“So now what will you do?” The Spirit asked the two in front of her.

“There's something I want you to do, Beatrice,” Emilia sat up, then kneeled in front of Beatrice, “I want you to ask me the question.”

Beatrice's eyes went wide, and for a few seconds, she was speechless. Then, she presented the question.

“Are you _That Person,_ in fact?”

“Tell me who _That Person_ is, and I can answer you,” Emilia's voice was gentle, soothing.

“A person who can free Betty from her 400 years in this library. A person who will love Betty, and treat her well. A person who can make Betty number one in their heart, I suppose.” Beatrice took on a sad tone, as she replied with the requirements to contract with her.

"Then, I want to free you from this library," Emilia began, "and I promise to love you and treat you well," then Emilia turned to look at Subaru, "but I've already made this man number one in my heart. That's not something I can change."

Beatrice's visage became downcast.

“But,” Emilia continued, “I am a half-elf, meaning that I will live for a very long time, much longer than the 400 years you've been trapped here,” Beatrice looked up at her words, “and our children will also be long-lived,” Emilia took Subaru's hand with her right, ”and if we make a contract I would request that one of the rules be that our family line will take care of you and love you for the rest of your days. Beatrice, will you trade a few thousand years of happy memories in exchange for being my number two?”

Conflicted, Beatrice thought for a few moments. She paced back and forth over the space of a few feet. Then, she walked over to the table where she had placed the black book, and opened it, flipping through the pages.

"Still blank. Still empty," she placed the book back on the table, "Betty wonders if Mother intended for her to be here forever, in fact."

Then, she turned back to Emilia and approached her.

"Mother told Betty to guard the library until 'That Person' appeared, then I was to contract with them and take up their cause." Her face blank, the little girl regarded Emilia, "you fulfill two of the three requirements, in fact."

"I want to make you happy, Beatrice." Emilia slowly nodded, looking at the girl, "you deserve to be loved and taken care of, that much I know."

Beatrice stood unmoving, studying the silver-haired girl. Then finally after what felt like an eternity, she spoke.

“You would compliment Betty when she does a good job, in fact? You would tell Betty that she is cute? You would feed Betty tasty sweets?” Her requests were simple.

“I will compliment you when you do a good job, I think you're wonderfully cute, and we will put a rider in the campaign budget to make sure that Beatrice has all the sweets that she wants.”

“Then Betty has made up her mind.”

Emilia listened to her intently.

“You are that person. Let us form a contract.”


	17. Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia has made a contract with Beatrice, and Roswaal has now added his faction's combat strength to their own. But the search to strengthen their camp isn't over yet.

Chapter 17- Sanctuary

Subaru lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

Next to him, Emilia was sleeping soundly with a small girl in her arms, a great-spirit that she had recently contracted with.

Beatrice.

 _This isn't the hentai protagonist moment that I imagined._ He looked over at the two girls, secretly lamenting that he and his beloved weren't alone. _But she's gained something wonderful, so I guess I can't complain._

He smiled, as a feeling of contentedness washed over him.

All of the songs about being in love, he'd once thought them to be cheesy. Love had been an abstract concept, one that had felt far-off and unattainable as he'd wiled away his hours playing visual novels and watching anime. Real-life girls were cruel and whispered to each other about him as he walked by. They spread rumors about him, regarding how strange he was and how he rarely left his home.

But at this moment he felt it. Strongly.

Love.

Rolling over on his side, he looked at the half-elf girl who lay next to him. She was illuminated by moonlight, which streamed in through a window next to the bed. Her silver hair took on an ethereal glow as she was bathed in lunar illumination.

His breath caught in his throat, and he found himself fighting back tears as he gazed at her.

_What did I do to deserve a wonderful girl like this?_

His mind puzzled over how he had gone from a shut-in otaku to a knight who was fighting for the crown of a country while being engaged to marry the most beautiful girl in the world.

_Mom and Dad? Would you be happy to see how things have turned out?_

Turning to look at the ceiling once more, his thoughts went to the events of the day.

_I died again, but I came back. Just like the other times. Emilia died too, thanks to that shitty clown._

_And Rem mentioned that I smelled like the witch when we first came here, before Roswaal exiled us._

Furrowing his brow, Subaru considered the nature of the strange way that he'd died several times in this world and returned to a starting point that was previous to when those deaths had occurred.

He'd returned.

After death.

_I don't know where this awful ability came from, but I'm going to give it a name, just like my Authority of Lust._

He thought for a moment, considering the nature of the power.

_I return to the past, via death._

_Return by Death._

_That's what I'll call it._

He thought about when he'd tried to tell Emilia why he knew that Capella was coming to kill them. He'd been stopped by a shadowy woman with phantom hands who'd grabbed his heart, it was an incredibly painful experience.

His eyelids grew heavy, as he thought of the things he'd seen since coming to this world.

_We need to get stronger._

Sleep began to overtake him, and his thoughts drifted back to Emilia.

_MMmmmmmm I love Emilia-tan..._

***********************************************************************************

Early the next day, Subaru and Emilia once more found themselves in Roswaal's study. The great-spirit sat in Emilia's lap, as they regarded the Margrave, his two Oni-maids stood slightly behind him, on either side. Each of the girls' faces harbored a slight blush.

Subaru had activated his Authority of Lust at level one and directed it at Roswaal and the twins the moment they entered the room, as an insurance policy against any potential mishaps.

 _No reason to take a chance of things going south again,_ he had reasoned.

Roswaal leaned forward in his chair, his cheeks a rosy color, “Subaru-samaaaaaa, I have considered your and Emilia-sama's goal and a few possibilities have come to mind.”

“We're all ears,” Subaru sat back in his chair, eager to hear the ideas that the clown had.

 _He may be a creep, but he's a creep with a lot of resources and connections,_ Subaru thought.

“To the northwest of here is a section of my domain known as Sanctuary,” the clown began, “there youuuuuuuuu will find a village of demi-humans. Among them is a boy who possesses immense strength, and would be a worthy addition to your cause. He is the half-brother of my maid, Frederica, and his name is Garfiel.”

“Ok, what else can you tell us about him?” Subaru was interested in this potential new ally.

“He is very headstrong,” the pink-haired maid Ram answered for the Margrave, “and the only thing he respects is strength. The best way to bring him to your side is likely to challenge him to a duel, and defeat him.”

“Perfect. I'll fight him myself, then, and add his strength to our own,” Subaru was confident that one way or another, he could best this boy in a fight.

“There is more to consider, however,” once again Roswaal spoke up, “Sanctuary is protected by a magical barrier, ereeeeeected 400 years ago by the Witch of Greed, Echidna.”

Emilia and Subaru sat forward at the mention of a witch.

“The Witch of Greed?” Emilia was surprised, “I've never heard of any witches besides the Witch of Envy.”

“Echidna was my creator, in fact,” Beatrice spoke up from Emilia's lap, “she was Betty's mother, I suppose.”

Shocked, Emilia took in this new information.

 _The 'Mother' who told her to guard the library was this witch,_ Subaru realized.

“What was she like, Beatrice?” Emilia was curious.

“She possessed an intellect unmatched by any person Betty has ever encountered,” the spirit seemed to swell with pride at the opportunity to speak about her creator, “and she gave me many important tasks to perform, I suppose.”

"There were maaaaaaany other witches besides Satella," Roswaal evoked a terrifying name, "while much of the story has been lost to history, it is the truth that there were at leeeeeeast nine of them at one point, each representing one of the seven cardinal sins, in addition to two others. The Sin Archbishops you intend to hunt doooooown are the inheritors of the Witch Factors that these witches possessed."

Taking in this bombshell, Emilia and Subaru looked at each other, both thinking that things just became more complicated than they had originally thought.

Roswaal looked at Emilia, “the barrier of Sanctuary will not affect Subaru-samaaaa, as he is a full-blooded human. But once you enter Sanctuary, Emilia-sama, you will be trapped there, as the barrier does not allow half-bloods to escape.”

“Then I'll just go by myself,” Subaru interjected, “and bring this Garfiel guy back with me.”

“Absolutely not,” Emilia almost shouted, “if you're going to fight a strong guy like that, I'm not letting you go alone! What if you get hurt? Who's going to heal you?”

"On that matter," Roswaal replied, "I will be sending Rem with youuuuuuuu, should you decide to go to Sanctuary. She and Garfiel know each other, and having her at your side wiiiiiiill lend credence to any attempt to bring him to your cause. Rem also possesses heeeeeealing magic, should the need arise."

Rem stepped forward and bowed, “I look forward to working with you, Subaru-sama, Emilia-sama.”

"Huh," Subaru was a little leery at bringing Rem with him after what had happened in his last loop, but if it made things easier then it should be fine, "I guess that Rem and I can head there shortly and try to co-opt the strength of this Garfiel guy."

“Didn't you hear what I said, dummy?” Emilia's voice was high-pitched, “I'm not letting you do something dangerous like that without me!”

Sighing, Subaru once again leaned back in his chair, placing a hand at his eyebrow, “But Emilia-tan, you heard Roswaal, if you enter Sanctuary you'll be trapped there! It's pretty tough to run a Selection Campaign when you're stuck in a forest in the middle of nowhere!”

“There is a soluuuuution,” Roswaal offered, “as a half-blood Emilia-sama is qualified to take the Trials of Echidna.”

“What are those?” Emilia asked.

"A series of chaaaallenges which, once surpassed, will deaaaaactivate the barrier," Roswaal said, "the nature of these challenges are unkoooown even to me."

“I'm not afraid of a few little tests,” Emilia crossed her arms, “if Subaru is going, so am I!”

“That matter aside, I have some information to conveeeeeey,” Roswaal interjected, “Ram, Rem, Frederica, and myself will be joining you on your journey back to the capital.”

“Why?” Subaru became suspicious of the clown once again.

"Because I intend to hooold up my end of the cooontract," Roswaal stated, "we will be reloooocating to my mansion in the capital, while I will hire a few villagers to take care of this estate in our aaaabsence. If we are in the caaaapitol then we can move at a moooment's notice to support you with our strength."

"Fine, that will work nicely with our intended goal," Subaru thought it did make sense.

“Then it's settled,” Rem stepped forward once again, “we should prepare to leave for Sanctuary within the hour.”

***********************************************************************************

Once again, Emilia and Subaru found themselves in a carriage, sitting next to each other with their hands intertwined. But this time three things were different; a little blonde spirit sat in Emilia's lap eying the pair, a blue-haired maid drove the carriage, and this particular carriage belonged to Roswaal, not Reinhard. They'd sent Reinhard's driver back to the Astrea Estate with the news that they had succeeded in negotiations with Roswaal, and that they were headed to Sanctuary with the goal of bringing back another powerful combatant.

Rem turned to address the passengers, “we're nearing the barrier, it won't be much further now!”

“Ok!” Subaru replied.

They'd been warned that Emilia will likely lose consciousness once they reached the barrier, and wake up around half an hour later. Subaru squeezed her hand.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked, "last chance."

“I'm not letting you out of my sight if something dangerous is going on,” she was determined.

“Fair enough,” he turned to Beatrice, “Beako let's lay her down in preparation to cross the barrier."

“Indeed, that is-...what did you call me?” The girl looked at him after she hopped down from Emilia's lap, brows furrowed.

“It's an affectionate nickname I thought up just for you! It means I like you!” He gave her his best winning smile, along with a thumbs up.

“Betty has a name and you should use it, in fact!” The girl pointed a finger at him, “it was given by Mother, I suppose! Contractor! Chide this nasty man for calling Betty foul names!”

Laying her head down on Subaru's lap, Emilia smiled at the girl, “I think it's pretty cute, to be honest, just like you, Beako.”

Beatrice wore a look of horror for the span of about a second, "Contractor, you and I will be having a long conversation about this later. Hmph!" She turned and sat on the opposite seat, "but Betty is indeed cute, in fact."

“Subaru, I think we're crossing it,” Emilia got heavier in his lap as she started losing consciousness.

“Sshhhh,” he gently stroked her hair, “I'll be here when you wake up.”

Emilia closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

The carriage continued for a while. After some time had passed, looking out the window Subaru could see that they were approaching a small village.

 _It really is tiny,_ he thought.

Rem brought them to a stop in front of one of the homes that dotted the small hovel. Coming around to open the door, she poked her head in.

“Is she still unconscious?” Rem asked.

“Yeah, I'll wait here with her until she wakes up,” Subaru replied.

Rem nodded, “I will go get the town elder, she will want to know what's going on.”

Subaru nodded, then Rem disappeared and shut the door.

After a couple of minutes, Emilia began to stir, then her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Subaru.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he smiled down at her.

“Good morning, handsome,” she returned his smile.

“Stay there as long as you want, I'm enjoying the view,” he was still stroking her hair.

“You two flirt too much, I suppose,” Beatrice said, “I do not understand the mating habits of humans and elves, in fact.”

"Beako, for a couple of young healthy lovers like us it's natural to act like this," as Subaru said this Emilia nodded from his lap enthusiastically as if he'd just uttered the wisest words in the world.

“I told you not to call Betty that slander word!” She pointed at him again, “is Betty going to be forced to teach you a lesson, in fact?”

“You're adorable, Beatrice, but please don't hurt my fiance'.” Emilia still had a small smile on her face.

“Betty is unfamiliar with this word, 'feeyonsay,' but her contractor needs to put a leash on this scary-eyed man before Betty is forced to take matters into her own hands, I suppose!” A pouty frown adorned the little spirit's face.

“It's a word from Subaru's homeland, it means someone who has agreed to marry you,” Emilia replied.

I'll stop teasing you for now,” Subaru was grinning, “but don't think you'll escape my affection forever!”

“Betty does not need the affection of a blasphemer who has a deranged way of mispronouncing her beautiful name, in fact!”

“Quite a lively group ya brought this time, Rem,” the coach dwellers turned to see a small pink-haired girl in a black robe had popped in through the door, and Rem once again stuck her head through the opening.

"Ryuzu!?" Beatrice jumped to her feet and ran to the girl that had just entered.

Hands clasped together, with a hopeful look, Beatrice waited for an answer from her.

“Ryuzu is my name, but I'm afraid I don't know ya, young lady?” the girl, Ryuzu, replied.

“It's me, Beatrice! You helped me and Mother here in Sanctuary over 400 years ago!” Beatrice looked like she was on the verge of tears.

A surprised look came upon Ryuzu, followed by one of understanding, “I'm not the original Ryuzu Meyers, I'm afraid, I'm one of a group of her clones, created by the Witch of Greed to steward Sanctuary.”

As her hopes were dashed, Beatrice became downcast. Emilia moved behind her and gently wrapped her arms around the little spirit.

“I don't know who you were hoping for, but I'm sorry this isn't her. Your contractor is here for you, for whatever you need.”

Beatrice nodded, “It would seem that Betty chose well when she decided to contract with you, in fact,” her voice was low and shaky, but she was able to compose herself.

Ryuzu looked at Subaru, “would ya be the leader of this group?”

Subaru pointed at Emilia, “me and her, together.”

“Why don't we all head inside and have a nice chat with some tea? It'll be a bit before Garf gets back ta town.”

***********************************************************************************

"Is everybody but me several hundred years old?" Subaru was off-put, everyone around him was some kind of granny, "Ryuzu, check. Beatrice, check. Emilia-tan, check," Emilia gave him a pouty look at this assessment. Subaru turned and looked at Rem with questioning eyes.

"While it's true that the Oni race lives much longer than humans," Rem answered his silent question, "I am merely 18 years old."

The maid was serving tea to everyone, who were all seated around a rustic wooden table.

The cabin they were in was simple but serviceable, with a tidy bed in the corner, an old stove near a window, and modest cabinetry.

“Did Rem fill you in on why we came to Sanctuary, Ryuzu?” Subaru started the conversation.

"She only told me ya wanted ta find Garf," but then she looked at Emilia, specifically her ears, "but I wonder if there might be more ta yer trip than just that. Emilia was it? Ya wouldn't happen ta be a half-elf like me, would ya?"

"You're a half-elf!?" Emilia was almost shouting again, "I've never met another of my kind before!"

"Neither have I, other than tha other clones," Ryuzu shook her head, "I'm told half-elves have a hard time in the outside, and since ya have silver hair I imagine it's been even worse for ya."

“Yeah...it can be pretty tough sometimes...” Emilia trailed off.

Subaru put a hand on her shoulder, and Beatrice turned around to regard her contractor.

She hadn't known that this girl had faced such prejudices.

“Now that Betty is your contracted spirit, you have nothing to worry about,” the little girl firmly stated, “she will punish anyone who slanders you, I suppose.”

“Between you and Subaru,” Emilia's mood lifted, “I feel like maybe that's something I won't have to worry about as much anymore.”

“I'll sing your praises to anyone that wants to badmouth you, Emilia-tan,” Subaru comforted her, “and if that doesn't work I'll beat them senseless.”

“Ok ok I get it,” Emilia was beaming, “you two will beat up anybody that's mean to me.”

“Ryuzu, there's a very important reason we came here,” Subaru figured it was time to get down to business, “we would like to ask Garfiel for his help, specifically we want to add his strength to our own.”

“Oh? What kinda nasty beasties might ya be fightin' that ya want somebody as strong as Garf ta help?” Ryuzu asked Subaru.

“Specifically, the three Great Mabeasts and the Witch Cult,” Subaru put it bluntly.

“Ya don't mince words, do ya? I suppose I can respect that. I can't say what Garf would say ta that, he's always been fascinated with stories about knights and big battles and that sort of stuff,” seeming to recall old memories, Ryuzu's gaze became far-off.

The door to the home they were in was roughly opened, and everyone turned to see who had entered.

It was a young-looking man with wild blonde hair, a black vest, and torn black pants. He wore no shoes.

“Yo, Granny did I just hear ya talkin' about me?” As the youth spoke, sharp fangs could be seen in his mouth. He noticed the blue-haired girl, “Rem? Hey if you're here did Ram come with ya?”

"Sister has remained at the mansion, but if our goals here are met you may see her soon, Garfiel." Rem gave him a small bow.

“Yo, who're these three weirdos?” He pointed at Subaru, Emilia, and Beatrice.

“Betty is not a weirdo, in fact!” Beatrice shot a glare at Garfiel, “She is a respectable spirit, I suppose!”

Subaru stood and walked over to Garfiel, giving a bow as Julius had taught him, he then met Garfiel's distrustful gaze.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Natsuki Subaru, I am a Spirit Knight who serves in the order of Royal Knights of the Kingdom of Lugunica," straightening, he then offered Garfiel his hand, "word of your strength has reached our ears, and we have come to request your assistance in matters of battle."

"Ehhhhh," eyebrow twitching, Garfiel looked at the offered hand, "fuck it," he grabbed it tightly and shook.

Subaru nodded at him, “It's no stretch to say that the fate of the kingdom will be determined by the battles that lay ahead.”

***********************************************************************************

“So yer tellin' me, ya wanna fight the Witch Cult?” Garfiel looked incredulously at Subaru from across the table.

"Yes," Subaru replied.

"AND the fuckin' White Whale?" Garfiel's voice rose higher.

"Yes," Subaru replied.

“AND the Great Rabbit?” Higher it rose.

"Yes," Subaru replied.

“AND the goddamn Black Serpent!?” Garfiel's voice almost reached falsetto.

"Yes," Subaru replied.

“.......” Garfiel had gone silent, mouth hanging slightly open, staring at Subaru.

After several seconds, “Uhh...” Subaru wanted to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Granny, oi, this guy's got fuckin' BALLS," turning to Ryuzu, Garfiel offered his assessment.

Emilia blushed as she heard this, and stifled a giggle.

Rem sighed as she stood at the end of the table.

“Vulgar, in fact,” Beatrice interjected, “nasty, I suppose.”

“I suppose you're right young Gar,” Ryuzu agreed with his assessment, “he must be very brave.”

At hearing this, Emilia felt she should speak up, “He is! My Subaru is sooooo brave and handsome!”

“YOUR Subaru, eh?” Garfiel grinned, “you two some kinda' item?”

“Something like that,” Subaru grinned back, “she's MY Emilia-tan.”

“Tan? What kinda' cutesy shit is that?” Garfiel raised an eyebrow.

“It's my super-doki nickname,” Subaru nodded sagely and crossed his arms while he closed his eyes, “for the girl of my dreams.”

“Subaru!” Emilia was getting flustered, “you shouldn't talk like that with so many people around!”

Beatrice added, “Revolting, in fact.”

“Garfiel,” Subaru tried to steer the conversation back on course, “there's another thing you should know.”

“Eh?” Garfiel was curious, “wazzat?”

“Emilia and I are joint candidates in the Royal Selection, and if we pull off the elimination of these threats...” Subaru paused for effect, “we'll almost surely become the King and Queen of Lugunica.”

“Fuckin' shit! Y'all are way up the Gaibou tree and shakin' the nuts!” Garfiel was astounded.

“Uhh...I'm not sure what that means, but that sounds like you liked what you heard,” Subaru slowly nodded, “but I would like to make you an offer, Garfiel.”

“Eh? What kinda offer?” He really had Garf's attention now.

“If you lend us your strength, and we make out it alive through all of this and win the Selection,” a confident grin came to Subaru, “We'll make you a Royal Knight, and a Royal Guard as well. In fact, I'll knight you myself.”

“You gotta take the Willard Bird if you want the shiny bauble!” Garfiel jumped up in excitement.

 _What fucking language is this guy speaking?_ Subaru didn't understand a word that came out of his mouth that time.

“Ahem, indeed,” Subaru nodded, “so what's your decision, Garfiel? We can give you a while to think about it, but time is of the essence.”

"Well, see now, there's a hitch," Garfiel made a fist and frowned, "as long as that Witch's barrier stands Granny here can't leave Sanctuary, and I'm not about ta run off and leave her alone."

“Garf...” Ryuzu's voice was soft.

“About that, we came prepared, as it would happen,” Subaru had a confident look, “Emilia is qualified to take the trials, and we intend to have her free Sanctuary.”

“Ya'd do that?” Garfiel looked to Emilia, voice serious “they ain't no walk in the woods, ya know.”

“I knew when we came here that it would be a requirement if I ever wanted to leave,” Emilia nodded, “so there's not much choice.”

"The plan would be, if you'd be amenable, for you and Ryuzu to come to live with us, at the Astrea Estate in the capital," these are considerations Subaru had to arrange, "we can build training facilities on-site to suit your needs."

“Astrea? You live with the fuckin' SWORD SAINT!?” He'd managed to surprise Garfiel once again.

"We do," Subaru had a shit-eating grin, "he's the one who trained Emilia and me."

“Bloody hell, then there's one last thing ta consider,” Garfiel's voice lowered.

“What is it?” Subaru asked.

A clawed finger swiftly pointed at Subaru, “you and me, we gotta have ourselves a tussle.”

Subaru sighed, _I thought that our conversation went well enough we might be able to skip that part._

“What are your wishes in that regard?” Subaru asked.

_God, I'm starting to sound like Julius._

“Tha rules are we gotta go all out, no lolly gaggin' bullshit. A proper fight 'till one o' us can't go no more. But try not to kill. Them's tha rules,” Garfiel nodded, “I wanna see if the guy I'd be followin' is strong enough ta back up his aspirations. Plus, I've always wanted ta fight a Royal Knight.”

“Garfiel, you should know, Subaru's not a typical knight,” Emilia warned the beast-man, “he's one of the strongest knights there is. He was trained by Reinhard, after all.”

A huge grin came across Garfiel's face, “good,” then he turned to look at Subaru again, “that's exactly what I wanted ta hear.”

***********************************************************************************

A crowd had gathered at the wooded meadow where Garfiel had brought the present Emilia/Subaru Camp members. It seemed the whole village had heard that Garfiel was fighting a knight in a 'friendly' duel. Garfiel had gone back to get something he said he needed.

"You're gonna find out why they call me "Tha Shield of Sanctuary," he'd laughed.

Subaru was doing radio calisthenics to get his body prepared for the exertion of a good old knock-down-drag-out fight. As he did this, he noticed some of the villagers had begun copying him, especially the children.

 _I better focus on the fight, gotta stop getting distracted,_ he thought.

Looking down to the sword hanging at his hip, which housed his spirits, he beckoned to them.

_Ladies, are you there?_

_ <We are here.> _They voiced in unison.

_This fight is going to be the toughest one we've had yet._

One by one, he commanded that they appear.

 _Igni?_ Fire.

_ <Yes.>_

_Venti?_ Wind.

_ <Yes.>_

_Terra?_ Earth.

_ <Yes.>_

_Aqua?_ Water.

_< Yes.>_

_Luxi?_ Light.

< _Yes_.>

 _Teni?_ Dark.

<Yes.>

The six quasi-spirits floated in front of his face, dancing happily.

_I'll be keeping my sword sheathed, as the intent here isn't to kill our opponent but to have him join our cause. The usual principles should apply to our attack and defense, though. So we'll fight like we trained, understood?_

_ <Yes.> _Once again in Unison.

_Thank you, ladies, you are my strength in battle. I couldn't do this without you._

_ <Thank you for being a wonderful contractor, and for helping us grow.> _Again, they replied in unison.

Subaru tied a leather strap to his sword's handle and cross-guard, then looped the strap through a ring on its black scabbard twice, and bound it with a knot. He wanted to ensure that he didn't accidentally unsheathe his sword with a swing. It would do no good to kill the guy he was trying to recruit.

Garfiel appeared, swiftly leaping from the bottom of the small slope that the meadow rested upon, and landing near Subaru. He now wore two slim shields, one on the back of either arm. They had handles for him to grip them, and two leather straps each to attach them to his forearms. He banged them together, making a horrendously loud clanging noise.

“Well, mister knight? Ya ready ta do this?” His smile was contagious.

"One second, I have to talk to Emilia real quick," Subaru turned and strode over to the half-elf.

“Subaru, I love watching you fight, but be careful,” she put a hand on the side of his face, “and make sure he doesn't beat your face up too much, I like your face.”

“I like your face, too, Emilia-tan! Reinhard said my defense is really good, so I'm sure it'll be fine,” after saying this, Subaru pulled her close for a passionate kiss.

“WOO-WOO!” many of the gathered villagers cheered on the kissing couple.

Stepping back from Emilia, Subaru gave her a wink and mouthed the words, “Love you.”

The smile she gave him made the whole trip worth it.

Subaru approached Garfiel, “I'm ready now.”

Garfiel nodded, “OI! ALL Y'ALL BETTER BACK UP!! THIS COULD GET WILD!!” The villagers, as well as Rem, Beatrice, Ryuzu, and Emilia put some space between them and the two warriors.

Exasperated, Garfiel yelled again, “I SAID FUKKIN' BACK UP!”

Some of the villagers broke out in a run, but finally, Garfiel was satisfied with the distance between themselves and the onlookers.

"Alright," Subaru regarded Garfiel, "on your mark." He held his sword in the Japanese drawing stance.

_Might as well start big._

Pushing mana into his entire body, he called to Terra to strengthen his blade and its sheathe. A green aura began to emanate from the sword.

Garfiel noticed this, "heh," was his only reply, grinning.

Neither fighter moved, as Garfiel had assumed a similar stance. Left foot back, right foot forward.

Then, it started.

Simultaneously they darted forward, Subaru sliced upward with the sheathed sword, Venti increased its speed with the power of wind, while Luxi, Teni, and Igni added magic power to the blow. Garfiel brought his left shield down to meet it.

<BTOOOM>

An explosion of air pressure rocked the meadow. Many of the villagers screamed.

Emilia shielded her eyes, the shockwave carried dust as it blew past them, she'd never seen anything like this before.

“Amazing...” she muttered to herself.

Beatrice's hair drills were whipping around, smacking her in the face, “these two idiots and their fight are annoying Betty, in fact!”

As their weapons bounced apart, the duelists immediately began their next attack. Garfiel's left arm bounced backward, adding momentum to his right arm, which swung at Subaru's head. Subaru surged his mana and Venti accelerated the sword downward, the other spirits added magic power to the swing as it slammed into the top of Garfiel's right-handed shield, knocking it downward loudly.

Another shockwave shook the area.

Subaru let go of the sword with his left hand swiftly moving it toward Garfiel's face while he chanted an attack, “Fula!”

 _Fuck he's fast!_ Garfiel thought.

Garfiel flung his torso backward to avoid the wind spell, landing in a bridge pose as he caught himself from hitting the ground with his arms.

 _He's open!_ This was Subaru's chance.

Gripping the sword with both hands, he accelerated it downward with mana and wind, adding power with spirit magic, intending to land a debilitating blow on Garfiel's midsection. Before it could land, Garfiel pushed hard with his legs, rocketing backward horizontally. He twisted in the air as he flew, feet coming underneath him as he landed, skidding to a stop some 20 feet away. He looked up to find Subaru rocketing after him, sword raised over his head.

_Tenacious bastard!_

Raising both shields, Garfiel accepted the blow, which threatened to break his defense.

"Gk!" Managing to withstand it, Garfiel gritted his teeth.

Rem was astounded, as they stood watching an incredible fight unfold before them.

“I was under the impression that Subaru-sama was a normal human?” She looked at Emilia.

Emilia's eyes refused to leave Subaru as she answered, “he was, once. But then the Sword Saint found us and trained him,” she had a blushing smile as she watched him, “he's incredible, isn't he?”

Rem turned back to the spectacle, “he is. He really is.”

This man, who had been nothing special six months ago, now had Garfiel on his heels.

After Garfiel received his overhead blow, Subaru could tell he had struggled under it. He dropped to a crouch as he had with Millwood and used the sweeping kick again, accelerating and sharpening it with wind and mana. Garfiel swiftly moved his front foot out of the way, but was thrown off-balance, pitched forward.

Deciding to increase his speed, Subaru spiked the mana in his legs as he spun to the right while lunging upward, swinging toward the side of Garfiel's head while he was off-balance.

The blow connected, and Garfiel's surprised face squished up in slow-motion to Subaru's accelerated perception. Careening away from Subaru, he bounced off of the ground as the force of the blow sent him slamming into a tree at the edge of the clearing.

 _Mah fukkin' head's fuzzy as shit!_ Garfiel knew this was bad for his chances of winning. A battered brain is bad in a fight.

_Strength, speed, incredible perception, and instincts. I could fight for this guy. Hell, if he hadn't sealed his sword in that sheathe I'd be missing the top half of my head right now._

_But I wanna see this through to the end, the rules are that one of us has gotta drop, and I ain't done yet._

Subaru approached Garfiel, stopping when he was ten yards away. Garfiel slowly stood, legs shaking.

“Are you done yet?” Subaru knew what the answer would be.

 _He's got incredible natural talent._ Subaru admired his opponent. He knew raw ability when he saw it.

_Strength, speed, lightning-quick perception, and instincts. It was worth coming here to find him. Most people would have almost died from the blow I just gave him, but he's still standing._

Garfiel straightened, trying to recover despite his concussed state.

“Nah, Cap'n,” he smiled a fangy smile, ”rules are one of us has ta be beat completely, right?”

“Cap'n?” Subaru was confused, maybe it was a common pet word like 'Bro' or 'Bud', “well, suit yourself. Let's finish this.”

Assuming a fighting stance, Subaru once again plunged mana through his body, this time at the razor's edge of what he could push without experiencing poison-like drawbacks. It had taken a lot of vomit-fueled training days and healing sessions from Emilia for him to find the peg on the meter, so-to-speak. But he knew that a cornered and wounded opponent was dangerous, so he was cautious. A blue aura began to emanate from him, as he prepared to attack.

Garfiel could sense a rise in Subaru's power, so he decided that he would try to be just a little bit tricky. It wasn't his style, normally, but this was not an opponent he could fight normally. Besides, his head was still a jumble after that sledgehammer blow he'd taken.

“Here I come, Garfiel!” Subaru lept forward at superhuman speed, closing the gap in a fraction of a second.

Simultaneously, Garfiel evoked his divine blessing of Earth-spirits and crumbled the ground beneath Subaru, hoping to mire his feet in unstable soil. But it was too late. Subaru's feet merely skimmed over the ground as he closed the gap, no longer needing solid contact for purchase.

Subaru raised his sword with his right hand, feinting a downward swing. As Garfiel raised his shields overhead to meet the sword, Subaru swung a haymaker left hand, bullseyed on Garf's nose. Garfiel had been expecting a sword swing, and the swift punch caught him defenseless. He took the blow full-force, as his nose crunched under the impact.

As he flew through the air, consciousness fading, his thoughts were joyful.

_This guy's a fuckin' badass. I can't wait to see what else he can do._

Hitting the ground and skidding to a stop, Garfiel lay motionless.

Subaru walked over to check on him, as the girls came running over with the villagers not far behind them.

“Emilia, Rem, Beatrice,” Subaru turned toward them, “do you ladies mind using some healing magic on him? I can contribute as well. Beatrice, could you concentrate on his face? I think I broke his nose.”

“Barbaric, in fact,” Beatrice was not impressed, “but Betty will help him, I suppose.”

Subaru had his water-spirit, Aqua, to channel healing magic like Felix had taught him.

And so the four cast their respective heals on the beast-man, who quickly regained consciousness, and sat up with help from Ryuzu.

"Feels like I got hit by a fuckin' Galarean Buffalo," Garfiel was recovering quickly, "my Divine Blessing's kickin' in, so I should be tippy-top pretty soon."

Emilia was curious, “what does your blessing do?”

"When I have contact with the ground it heals me," Garfiel replied, "and I can manipulate soil to a degree. Make slabs of the earth rise up, shit like that."

“Ooohh that sounds handy,” Emilia was nodding in approval.

Subaru offered Garfiel a hand, “you fought well.”

Taking the offered hand, Garfiel stood up and looked over at the meadow where they'd traded blows, noting several craters that had been created. Letting out a low whistle, he turned to Subaru.

“I'm a man of my word, and ya beat me fair and square,” he nodded, “I'll help ya fight the nasty cultists and beasties.”

Nodding in approval, Subaru replied, “I can't wait to see what you can do once Reinhard gets ahold of you.”

“Whatcha mean, Cap'n?” Garfiel sounded a little excited.

“He's a strict teacher,” Subaru pointed at Garfiel, “but he'll pull every shred of your potential out of you.”

“Garfiel,” Subaru whirled, pointing up in the air, striking a pose, “you're going to be trained by the Sword Saint!”

"Oi," Garfiel's eyes sparkled, "fuckin' cool..."

Author's note: The next chapter will contain the trials, but I don't intend to write them as Emilia experiences them because let's face it, they'd be exactly the same as they are in the novels and the show. At that point, I might as well copy and paste it from a translation and I ain't doing that. Most of the next chapter will focus on the rest of the gang waiting for her to complete them, then move on from there.


	18. The Witch of Greed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia begins the trials, and Subaru waits for her outside the tomb. When he hears Emilia in trouble, Subaru can't keep from entering it. What awaits him inside?

Chapter 18- The Witch of Greed

“So this is the tomb of Echidna, the Witch of greed...” Subaru gazed at an ancient structure, built of stone. There were elaborate carvings on an arched entryway, which led into the dark interior tunnel.

“Yep,” Garfiel replied, “that's where the trials are,” he gestured at Emilia, “Princess here has ta go in that tunnel to a room in there, and the Witch's magic'll do the rest.”

“Princess?” Emilia inquired, “I might be a candidate to become a Queen, but I'm not a princess, Garfiel.”

“It's a nickname, Emilia-tan,” Subaru replied to the half-elf, “like the one I gave you. And how he calls me Cap'n.”

The Emilia/Subaru camp members all stood in front of the tomb, as well as Ryuzu. Leering at the foreboding structure, Rem offered her assessment.

“It certainly looks like something a witch would build,” a shiver ran through her, “this architecture is unlike any I have ever seen.”

"Princess," Garfiel turned to Emilia, "like I said earlier, this ain't gonna be easy on ya. Tha trial drags up yer worst experience of yer past," he pointed at the x-shaped scar on his face, "I got this when trying ta take tha trial drove me nutty and I went ta smackin' my face on that wall right there," saying this, he pointed at the side of the archway.

Becoming concerned, Subaru turned to Emilia, “you sure about this, Emilia-tan? Maybe we can find another way for you to leave Sanctuary.”

Steeling her resolve, Emilia shook her head, “I have to be strong. Even if it's something sad or scary, it's my job to face it. My memories are all back now, so I have a pretty good idea of what it will consist of.”

Beatrice offered a bit of encouragement, “if it's Betty's contractor, Mother's trials should be no issue. You will do well, Betty is sure of it, in fact.”

Stepping toward the archway entrance, Emilia paused. Coming up behind her, Subaru wrapped his arms around her.

“I'll be right here,” he soothed her, whispering in her ear as he sensed her nervousness, “you're going to be ok, because I will never, ever let anything happen to you, got it?”

“Ok,” she relaxed, his presence immediately made her feel better and she put her brave face back on, “it's not that far into the tomb, and with how fast you are you can be there in a second. Here we go.”

Releasing her, he watched as Emilia walked the dark hallway that led into the interior of the tomb, eventually disappearing into the darkness. A sound was heard, and even here in the light of the afternoon, one could see that the tomb had begun to glow.

***********************************************************************************

About an hour had passed, and Subaru sat at the entrance upon the stone floor, waiting for Emilia to return. As the tomb continued to glow, he could hear the others chatting behind him, most of them sitting upon the stone stairs. Garfiel was telling Rem a story about her sister, something about a boxing match, and laughing loudly. Rem seemed to be enjoying the story and Ryuzu smiled at the memories. Beatrice was poking her fingers at the nearby plants, making 'hmm' noises. The sun was now low on the horizon as everything was taking on an orange hue.

Suddenly, the tomb went silent, and the glow receded. Scrambling to his feet, Subaru strained his senses for any sign of Emilia. Peering into the darkness, he couldn't see anything. Then he thought he heard something. It was quiet. He strained his ears as much as he could. What was going on inside the tomb?

Sobbing.

“EMILIA!!!” Gathering mana in his body, he shot forward.

“DON'T GO IN THERE!!!” Garfiel whirled and yelled after him, “If you're not qualified to take the trials!!! The tomb will attack you!!!”

Subaru couldn't hear any of it as there was a roaring in his ears at the thought of Emilia being hurt. He quickly arrived at an area where the tunnel opened up into a small room. To his right, he found Emilia sitting on the floor, a sobbing mess.

"Emilia! I'm here!" He knelt in front of her, putting his arms around her.

But then he started to feel very strange. His sight began to shimmer in front of him, and dizziness overtook him. Then, he heard a voice.

< _Someone interesting has arrived. Very well, I invite you, to a Witch's tea-party. >_

As he spun to look around, a vast green field appeared before him. Gentle rolling hills, bright sun, and a gentle breeze touched his senses. Then, he saw her.

A beautiful white-haired woman was sitting at a small table, under a parasol.

She was smiling at him.

Simultaneously, back in the tomb, Subaru's body went limp, as he collapsed on the floor where Emilia was on her knees.

“SUBARU!!!” Her own plight forgotten, she searched him for injury, finding none.

“Is he in the trial!? What's going on!?” A frantic half-elf desperately wanted to know what had happened to her lover, who had just come to her rescue.

***********************************************************************************

Hesitantly, Subaru climbed the gentle slope at the top of which the white-haired woman sat. As he approached, she beckoned him to have a seat.

“Who are you?” Subaru remained standing near the table.

“Echidna, the Witch of Greed,” placing her chin in her hands, elbows resting on the table, she replied with a gentle voice.

“But you're supposed to be dead. _Long_ dead,” he replied as he raised an eyebrow.

“What you see before you is a manifestation of my soul, within my dream castle. This is not a true reality, but a magical construct which I created that I might continue to garner knowledge after my demise,” still wearing a gentle smile, she sat up straight in her chair.

“I was expecting that the Witch of Greed would be someone...scarier,” Subaru was anxious, but the woman seemed harmless.

“Well when most people stand before me they do things like vomit, or sometimes die,” she intoned, “you must be special. Have a seat, before your tea gets cold. You must have many questions.”

“You'd be right about that,” cautiously moving to sit in the provided chair, Subaru kept his eyes locked on the witch, “ how did I get here?”

“When you entered the tomb to rescue your wailing girlfriend, I whisked your consciousness away here to my dream castle,” she answered, “worry not, your body is safe in the arms of that half-elf. She watches over you, somewhat aware of where your mind is.”

“Why me? I'm not a half-breed so I can't even take the trials.”

“Because I find you fascinating,” her smile widened, “do you know how long it's been since a human harbored not one, but two Witch Factors?”

“Two Witch factors? I'm afraid you're mistaken, I only possess the Authority of Lust,” Subaru refuted her claim.

“Oh no, young man,” she seemed giddy now, “it's plain as day to me, you also carry within you the authority of Envy.”

“Envy!” He cried out, at the mention of the Witch of Envy's power, “lady I don't know where you got that idea but I sure as hell never killed Satella.”

“Killing the bearer is not a requirement of gaining an Authority,” she had a dreamlike look in her black eyes, “tell me, did you suddenly find yourself one day in an unknown land surrounded by strange people who you'd never seen before?”

“Grk!” Subaru couldn't hide his shock.

“My Greed Witch Factor grants me great knowledge, which is something that I desire above all other things,” she motioned at his teacup, “it's going to get cold if you don't drink it.”

“Fine,” grabbing the cup, Subaru chugged down the tea in one go, and plopped the cup back down on the table, “anyway, how do you know that I'm not from this world?

 _That tasted weird,_ he thought.

“My Authority allows me to learn many of the things I desire knowledge of. I sensed your entry into this world and have witnessed your travels and adventures as an observer," giggling, she added, "your Authority of Lust is quite interesting, to be sure,” then she slowly leaned forward, “but your authority of Envy...now that one is _truly_ powerful.”

A shudder went down Subaru's spine at the tone she had used to describe this so-called Envy Authority, "if you believe I have the Authority of Envy, then what is its ability?"

“Think on it for a moment, and I believe the answer will come to you.”

_Think on it? Well, authorities are supposed to come with strange abilities. My Lust Authority can force positive emotions for me on a person, and more. What other strange ability do I have that-_

Gasping, he looked up at Echidna.

“You have realized it,” rising, she crossed over to stand next to where he sat, “ _THAT..._ is the Authority of Envy, shared with you by the Witch of Envy herself.”

_Return by Death..._

Shocked, he voiced a question, “why would the Witch of Envy give me her power? I've never even met her.”

"You have," Echidna replied, "did you not once try to tell the elf-girl how you knew that the Archbishop of Lust was almost upon you?"

Subaru thought back to that moment in the snow and remembered.

He remembered a shadowy woman, who had reached out with impossible shadow hands and threatened to crush his heart.

“Hik!” Terror threatened to overtake him, “THAT... _thing_ was Satella!?”

“It was probably the Witch, not Satella,” Echidna mused, “Satella, as much as I despise her, is actually quite kind. The Witch, however, is thoroughly mad.”

“Aren't they the same person?”

"Two different personalities, fighting for control of a single body," Echidna told him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Shit. This is way more complicated than I thought. Tell me Echidna, was it Satella or Envy who brought me to this world?”

“I cannot say, my gaze did not fall upon you until I felt you being brought here. By the time I synchronized my Authority to you, any trace of who had summoned you was gone.”

“Damn. Ok then, what can you tell me about Roswaal?” She had returned to her chair, and shifted forward when he said this, “will he stay loyal or will he break his contract with Emilia?”

“He will remain loyal, despite the fact that your actions fall outside of the book of knowledge I gave him.”

Subaru was puzzled, “Book of Knowledge that _you_ gave him? Haven't you been dead for 400 years?”

“There are ways to live for a very, very long time in this world,” she replied.

“What does this book do?” He wanted to know it must have something to do with the way Roswaal acted when they returned from the capital.

"It predicts the future, as long as certain guidelines are followed," Echidna began "but you broke the prophecy when the elf's sigil was lost to the assassin. It would seem that fate had other plans. Roswaal would have been highly distraught at this turn of events, but I have seen that his book has changed since you last left him, what was once written is not so anymore. A new prophecy has replaced it. One that puts him back at your side, because if he follows you and the half-elf, he can achieve his dearest wish."

“And what's that?” What could the clown be up to?”

“To resurrect me, of course. He was my prized student in magic.”

Mouth hanging open, Subaru didn't know what to say, she seemed nice enough. She was quite helpful as well. But would it be a good idea to resurrect the Witch of Greed?

“I leave it to you whether to allow this plan of his to come to fruition,” she followed, “either way, my curiosity will be satisfied regarding your decision. However, it would be much easier to continue gaining new knowledge were I to live again.”

 _I guess that's something I'll have to think about,_ Subaru decided.

"My resurrection is inevitable whether you help Roswaal or not. In fact, I expect that it will occur very soon."

_Ok, now she's talking in circles. I should get back to Emilia._

“Echidna, thanks for answering so many questions,” he stood from his chair, facing the witch, “I shouldn't make Emilia worry any longer. It's time for me to go back.”

"Indeed, but before you do leave, there's one other thing I would like to discuss with you," the witch smiled at him, "I would like you to consider forming a contract with me."

***********************************************************************************

Outside the tomb, Garfiel was frantic.

"Calm down, Garf," Rem tried to soothe him, "he's probably in there talking to Emilia."

“I can sense my contractor, and she is in no danger, I suppose,” Beatrice offered, "but she is awfully worried about that nasty-eyed man, in fact.”

“You see, that's bullshit, Rem!” He paced back and forth, “Cap'n is a pureblood, the tomb woulda attacked him for not bein' qualified! He might be layin' in there bleedin' out right now!” Turning to face the entrance, he made a decision, “I'm gonna go get 'im out!”

Ryuzu grabbed the hem of his shirt, “Young Gar, no! You remember what happened last time!”

Looking back at her, he reasoned, “I reckon I got about a 50-50 shot on whether you can only take the trial once, I'm hopin' that's the case. But I can't stand here while my new Cap'n might be layin' in there dyin'.”

He walked into the tunnel, peering into the darkness but seeing nothing.

"Aaagh fuck I gotta go further," he continued walking for several seconds, struggling to see the man and the half-elf girl.

“Shit shit shit shit.”

He was nearing the chamber, where the trial overtakes your consciousness. “No stoppin' now, gotta see this through.”

Peering around the corner where the chamber opened up, he saw Emilia on her knees, with an unconscious Subaru on her lap.

“Cap'n!” He rushed to their side, trying to see if his Cap'n was hurt.

"He's okay," Emilia looked up at him, "I think he might be in the trial."

"Hmm. Looks like you're right," Garfiel stood up, only to find himself getting dizzy, his vision wavering, "ah shit it's taking me too! Goddammit, I didn't wanna see this shit again!"

As he fell first to his knees, then forward, Garfiel thought ahead to what he was about to see.

_Mom. Don't abandon us._

***********************************************************************************

Subaru was deep in thought, “what would this contract entail, exactly?”

“All of my considerable knowledge would be at your disposal, “ she began, “your problems would become _our_ problems, and I would offer you comfort should you need it with either my companionship or my body.”

"Ah, hold up on that last part," Subaru put both hands in front of him, "you might totally look to be my type and I think you're mega-cute and all, but Emilia is the only girl for me. So that won't be necessary."

"Have it your way," she seemed a little wounded, "but the offer remains on the table. Regarding the tribulations you will face in the future, I believe my knowledge could be a great boon in helping you succeed."

“What's the catch?” He knew there had to be more to it, “what's in it for you?”

“Access to your experiences,” she didn't miss a beat, “I will be able to see what you face, how you feel, and how you react. I find you terribly interesting, so an arrangement of this nature will do wonders to satisfy my greed.”

“It does sound like a win-win situation...” Subaru was willing to give it a go, “so how do we form the contract?”

“We join hands, and I will connect our souls, forming the agreement,” she offered him her right hand.

"Ok, but I want to throw in a stipulation," he decided to be cautious because there was still a lot he didn't know about this woman, "if I deem this agreement harmful to myself, or my friends, I can dissolve the contract."

A slight frown entered her face for the first time, and she closed her eyes and sighed, “very well. Let us join hands, then,” she opened her eyes and stepped forward.

At that moment, a contract was formed between the Witch of Greed and Natsuki Subaru.

***********************************************************************************

Emilia had gently laid Subaru down, so she could see to Garfiel. Dragging the beast-man to the wall so she could put him in a sitting position, she arranged him in a comfortable pose and went back to Subaru, putting his head back in her lap.

After she waited for what seemed like close to an hour, Subaru's eyes popped open very suddenly. He looked up to find her face looking down at him, and both of them smiled.

"Good morning, handsome," she brushed away a lock of hair that had fallen onto his face.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he reached up and brushed her cheek.

“So, did you take the trial, too?” She wondered what it had been like if he did.

"I was invited to a Witch's Tea party," he explained, "I met Echidna and she answered a lot of questions for me."

Emilia gasped, “you met that mean woman? Was she awful to you as well?”

"Huh? No, she was really nice," he shook his head, "why was she mean to you?"

“Yeah! She called me all kinds of nasty names,” Emilia had quickly learned to ignore her insults though, “but I managed to pass the trial.”

“Good job Emilia-tan! Now we're one step closer to heading back to the capital!” Subaru sat up reluctantly, but he wanted to tell Emilia about their new ally. Then, he noticed Garfiel laying propped up on the wall.

“What's he doing here?” Subaru poked a thumb at him.

"He came in to save you like you came in to save me," Emilia looked a bit sheepish, "I think he's in the first trial right now."

“Hmm, then we should stay here until he wakes up,” Subaru decided, then he turned back to Emilia.

“Listen, I got us another ally while I was in there,” he was beaming.

“Oh? Who?” Emilia tilted her head.

“Echidna! I formed a contract with her, she's going to use her vast knowledge to help us when we're in tricky situations,” Subaru puffed out his chest, proud of finding another powerful ally.

“You formed a contract with _Echidna!?_ ” Emilia's tone was not one of happiness.

“Yeah it's a pretty good deal, I get access to her knowledge and she gets to experience our adventures, I think she's pretty bored in that dream castle thing,” he used a cautious tone, not wanting to further rile the girl.

“This can't be a good idea, Subaru,” slowly shaking her head, “that woman is not a very good person.”

"It'll be fine," he replied, "we just have to make sure that Roswaal doesn't know because he might go bonkers if he did. Her words, not mine."

As he said this, both of them heard rustling and looked to see Garfiel awakening.

They went to him, checking him over.

“Garf!” Subaru put a hand on his shoulder, “you alright, man? I didn't mean to make you have to come in here again.”

“'s okay, Cap'n,” finally fully awake, he turned to look at Subaru with a sad smile, “turns out all these years I was wrong about my mom. She didn't abandon us like I thought she did.”

“My trial was about my mother, too,” Emilia placed a hand on his other shoulder, “if you'd like to talk about it, it might be good for both of us.”

“Maybe another time, Princess, I still gotta get my head sorted out after all that. Cap'n, you wuz knocked plum out, did you take the trial, too?”

“I had a tea party with Echidna.”

"Ha! I'm glad ta see my Cap'n has a sense of humor. But really, what did ya see?" Garfiel leaned toward Subaru expectantly.

“A table, two chairs, some cups, some snacks, and Echidna,” Subaru replied.

“Wuh,” now Garfiel's face was dumbfounded, “are ya pullin' my leg, man?”

“No, he's not,” Emilia sounded irritated, “this dunderhead even made a contract with her.”

“Ya fuckin' wot, Cap'n!?”

“Yeah, I've brought the Witch of Greed to our side,” once again Subaru seemed proud, “she's going to support us with her knowledge.”

“Well this can't be fuckin' good,” Garfiel put a palm to his face, chiding his new boss.

***********************************************************************************

As the three of them exited the tomb, Ryuzu, Beatrice, and Rem ran to meet them. It was full-on night outside now. Emilia explained that she had passed the first trial, and had two more to go. Garfiel also explained to Ryuzu what he had learned about his mother, and how wrong he'd always been about her. For her part, Ryuzu seemed genuinely thrilled for Garfiel. Subaru explained that he had met the witch, but left out the part about the contract.

Beatrice seemed to sense something though, as she had an interesting look on her face as she stared at Subaru. For the moment, she said nothing about it.

Emilia had decided to keep going with the trials, and so she returned to the tomb to complete the second one. Half an hour later she came out again, this time there were no tears to be seen at all. After a high-five from Subaru, which Beatrice also wanted to try, which then Garfiel also wanted to try, Emilia returned to complete the final trial.

This time she was in the tomb for a little over an hour, but once again she emerged after the glow had subsided for a while.

“The trials are complete, but there's something all of you need to see," beckoning for everyone to follow her, she walked back into the tomb for one final time.


	19. Back to Roswaal Mansion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrapping up their business at Sanctuary, team Subaru and Emilia prepare to head back to Roswaal's Mansion, then onward to the capitol. But Echidna and Emilia may have some trouble getting along.

Chapter 19- Back to Roswaal Mansion

As the group followed Emilia into the depths of the tomb, Subaru asked her what she had found, to which she replied, “I'm not sure, but I think it's Echidna's body. Maybe.”

“You can't tell? Is she mummified or something?”

"No, it's just, well, you'll see."

As they entered the chamber where the trials had taken place, Subaru noted that the door at the far end of the chamber had opened. Following Emilia through it, they came upon a strange sight. There was a large crystal...coffin? Sarcophagus? It was transparent, and within was a familiar-looking white-haired woman wearing a black funeral dress.

But something was different. This woman looked very similar to Echidna, but slightly different and possibly a little older. It was as if he were looking at Echidna's older sister if you compared her to the one he had spoken with in the dream castle.

“She looks...different?” Subaru noted.

“Yeah, I thought so too,” Emilia nodded.

“Betty is unsure of what her contractor and the nasty man mean,” Beatrice caressed the smooth surface of the crystal coffin lovingly, “this is Betty's mother, in fact,” the little spirit placed her forehead on the crystal, a tear trickled down her face as memories of her mother began to surface.

“Let's give her a moment alone,” Emilia gestured for the rest of the group to head back outside. Before leaving the tomb, Emilia patted Beatrice on the shoulder a couple of times, then whispered to her, “just call if you need me,” before turning to exit.

Beatrice simply nodded.

***********************************************************************************

Outside the tomb, the group waited for the Great Spirit to return. Subaru mulled over his newly forged contract with Echidna, then suddenly remembered something. Reaching into the right pocket of his uniform, he felt around for something she had said would be there. His fingers latched onto it, and he pulled it out and looked at what was in his hand.

A silver necklace, with a black crystal.

Putting it on, he then pinched the crystal between his thumb and forefinger, gazing at the dark gem.

“ _See? I told you it would be there.”_

Echidna's voice rang out in his mind as if she was right next to his ear speaking to him. Nodding to confirm that their connection seemed to be working, he allowed the crystal to rest in its place against his chest.

“Subaru? What's that necklace?” Emilia had turned to regard him as she sat next to him on the steps, she tilted her head, “I've never seen you wear anything like that before.”

“This is how I communicate with Echidna,” he pointed to the gemstone, “it allows her to see what we're experiencing, and I can speak to her and vice-versa with it.”

Cheeks puffing out, Emilia pouted, “I think this is a bad idea! That lady is  _not_ bringing good intentions to whatever contract you made with her!”

“She just wants to add to her knowledge, she's greedy for it and she's been stuck in that dream castle thing for 400 years,” he tried to calm her down.

“But she was such a... such a...b-b-bitch!”

“Naughty language doesn't suit your cute mouth, Emilia-tan.”

“ _Tell that loose woman that I'll show her a bitch when I get the chance.”_

_“_ Shut up, Echidna! Not now!”

_It's a good thing there's some distance between us and the others,_ he thought,  _I'd rather just me, Garf, and Emilia know about the contract for now._

“What!? Is she talking to you right now?” Emilia spat, “what did she say!?”

“Don't worry about it, she was just taking issue with you calling her that b-word,” he tried to defuse the rapidly escalating situation.

“I'll call her a lot  _more_ than that! Hey Echidna! You smell like ground dragon poop, and your dress looks like something a grandma would wear!”

“ _Tell that slut that if her skirt were any shorter, she would have two more cheeks to powder!”_

_“_ Fuuuuuuuck,” Subaru was starting to regret the contract he had made.

***********************************************************************************

After Beatrice had emerged from the tomb, the group made their way back to the village and arranged lodging for the night. Subaru caught Beatrice sneaking glances at him, and the black crystal he now wore around his neck. It was getting very late, though, so any explanations would have to wait for tomorrow.

Emilia, Rem, and Beatrice were staying in a spare cabin that Ryuzu had arranged for them. Subaru wound up in the small church in the middle of the village, laying on the floor with a couple of blankets and a pillow.

_This isn't so bad,_ he thought.

Echidna had gone quiet after he told her and Emilia that under no circumstances was he going to facilitate an argument between them and that they would just have to put up with the situation.

It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep, as the roller-coaster events of the day had left him worn out.

The next morning, they had completed their preparations to travel back to Roswaal's mansion. As Garfiel was getting ready to depart Sanctuary for the first time, he'd summoned a small army of Ryuzu clones in white robes, and left instructions to them for the care of Sanctuary.

“Well, I guess Ryuzu did say she was a clone. I had no idea there'd be so many though!” Subaru was surprised by the dozen or so half-elves.

The clone in black, who stood before Garfiel now, spoke to him, “I had ta give it a lotta thought, Young Garf, but I don't think I'm ready ta leave Sanctuary just yet. We gotta make sure the clones can properly do their jobs without you here ta boss 'em around.”

“Are ya sure, Granny? I mean, they did just fine for a long time before I ever even came ta Sanctuary,” Garfiel lamented that Ryuzu would not be leaving with him.

"Maybe, later on, we can meet back up, but for now ya go out there and help Young Su beat those nasty beasties and that Witch-Cult," she nodded in approval at him, "you've gotten so strong, and these people are too. I'm sure you'll do great."

"Alright then, Granny, I hope ta see ya soon then." Garfiel hugged the tiny pink-haired girl, then jumped on top of the carriage, and moved to sit next to Rem.

“So, tell me what Ram's been up to these days,” he didn't waste time.

***********************************************************************************

Far at the back edge of Sanctuary, a young-looking girl emerged from a cave wearing makeshift rags. Pink hair flowed from her head. Making her way into the forest, she sought knowledge.

“I knew the loose woman would get through the trials quickly. It appears Roswaal will miss his chance at resurrecting me.”

Disappearing into the woods, Echidna walked the world once again.

Around her neck, she wore a necklace with a black crystal.

***********************************************************************************

As they rode in comfortable silence, Subaru once again noticed Beatrice stealing glances at him and his necklace. Deciding to finally bring the little spirit into the loop, he turned to where she sat in Emilia's lap.

“Beatrice, I have something I want to tell you,” he caught her attention, “it's about Echidna.”

“Betty knew something was going on, in fact,” she regarded Subaru, “your witch-scent has shifted slightly, I suppose. It somewhat reminds me of mother now.”

“I hadn't realized that you could smell it too, Beatrice,” Emilia was surprised.

“My contractor's 'feeonsay' smells like burnt hair and diapers, in fact.” The girl was ruthless.

Wanting to steer the conversation back to Echidna, Subaru spoke up. "Let's forget about that. Regarding Echidna, instead of a long explanation," Subaru removed the necklace with the black crystal, and handed it to Beatrice, "I'll just have you talk to her."

“Talk to her?” Beatrice seemed puzzled for a second, then her face went dumbfounded, “Mother!?”

Echidna spoke to her through the crystal, just as she had with Subaru.

“Mother! Beatrice has been a bad daughter! I contracted with Emilia even though she can't make me her number one!” Tears began welling up in her eyes as Echidna silently spoke to her through the crystal.

“You're not angry?” she asked.

“I did well!?” Once again a look of surprise was on her face.

She looked at Subaru, Echidna must have been talking to her about him.

“I understand. Betty will do as Mother has asked.”

“...yes.”

“...yes.”

“Very well. I look forward to speaking with Mother again soon,” Beatrice handed the crystal back to Subaru, who put the necklace back around his neck.

“Mother has requested that I make a special exception for that man,” she pointed at Subaru, “and protect him alongside my contractor. Betty has agreed.”

Steam was shooting out of Emilia's ears, or rather, it would be, were that possible right now.

“Subaru!” She whirled on him, “why is  _that woman_ asking  _my_ spirit to look after  _you_ !?”

Subaru was shrinking against the wall of the carriage, “You don't want Beako to protect me?”

“I want her to protect you because _I_ asked her to!  _Me!!!_ ” She pointed a finger at herself to emphasize the point.

“It's the results that matter, right?” Subaru gazed to the side, unable to meet her glare.

“NOT IN THIS CASE!” Emilia began climbing out of the carriage, and soon Garfiel vaulted into it, with a scared look on his face.

“Oi, Cap'n. I think Princess is a wee bit peeved,” he sat down next to Subaru as Beatrice took a seat opposite to them, “she kicked me outta my spot, said somethin' about choppin' yer tallywacker.”

“Shit,” Subaru hadn't bargained for this, “I'll have to talk to Echidna about not doing things that might upset Emilia.”

They rode in silence for a few seconds.

“This sucks.”

***********************************************************************************

Arriving at the mansion at mid-day, they were met out front by Roswaal, Ram, and Frederica. Emilia stomped into the mansion without a word, slamming the front door shut behind her.

Garfiel slowly approached Frederica, as they eyed each other up and down.

“Sis? 'zat you?”

“Garf, it's been too long,” she smiled, seeing that her little brother seemed healthy as could be.

“Oi.....yer fuckin' huge!” His assessment was blunt, as always.

Frederica's smile flipped upside down, and she placed her hands on her hips, “perhaps it's not me that's huge, but you that's a runt! Runt runt runt!!!”

“'Ey now! Don' be like that!” He waved his hands in front of him.

“Hmph!” Frederica whirled, and stomped into the mansion without a word, slamming the front door shut behind her.

Roswaal watched all of this unfold, amused with the antics of the two women.

“Beatrice-sama, I truuuuust your trip was pleasurable?”

“Don't talk to me, clown-man! Your fetishes creep Betty out, in fact!” Beatrice stomped into the mansion without a word, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Roswaal-sama, you might need a new door soon,” Ram addressed her master, “Ram and her sister will get the luggage.”

“Indeeed, Ram. This abuse of my property is mooooost disconcerting,” Roswaal turned to Garfiel and Subaru, “welcome, Garfiel, you've grown a great deal since we last spoke. I trust that since you are here that Subaru has brought you over to our cause?”

“That's right,” Garfiel made a fist, “I'm super excited ta fight side-by-side with Cap'n. He thrashed me good in Sanctuary.”

“Is that sooooo?” The clown regarded Subaru, “Subaru-sama, you seem to be a man who is fuuuuull of surprises.”

“Nothing special,” Subaru replied, “it's all thanks to Reinhard's training.”

“Indeed,” smiling one of his creepy smiles, he approached Subaru, “I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you can do,” with a low voice he spoke, then looked down at the black crystal that hung from his neck, “a most interesting individual, to be sure.”

Then Roswaal turned, “Garfiel, consider this your home until we depart for the capital in the morning.” Turning, he went to the mansion, stopping briefly to examine his recently abused door.

“ Most disconceeeeerting, indeeeed ," he could be heard in the distance, then he disappeared into the mansion.

“That guy's a fuckin' weirdo, man.” Another blunt observation from Garfiel.

“Dude, you don't even know the half of it,” Subaru replied.

***********************************************************************************

Emilia hadn't made an appearance at dinner time, worrying Subaru. Soon after, he made his way to their room but stopped at the door. On it was a sign that said, "NO DUNDERHEADS."

He rapped on the door, “Emilia! Are you in there?” He tried to open it, but it was locked, “Emilia! Come on! Open the door!”

She yelled from inside the room, “are you still wearing that crappy necklace???”

He looked down at Echidna's jewel, “yeah...”

“Then you're not coming in here! You and your new girlfriend can go sleep in the garden tonight!”

Wincing at the barb, he replied, “she's NOT my girlfriend! She's agreed to help us if we find a problem we can't solve!”

“Then have her help you find a place to sleep because you're not bringing that THING in here!”

Defeated, Subaru turned to walk down the hallway. Head hung low, he looked at the floor as he walked. As he passed one of the doors in the hall, he sensed Beatrice was inside.

_She must have gone back to the library._

He opened the door, stepping into the huge repository. Beatrice was in her usual spot, looking at him.

“Betty did not call for you, in fact,” she didn't sound quite as annoyed with him as usual, “why are you here, Mother's Contractor?”

“I was wondering if you would help me out, Beako,” he wasn't sure what to do, “Echidna and Emilia hate each other, but I don't want to throw away Echidna's offer for help just because they can't get along. I was wondering if you could talk to Emilia about that.”

“It is inconvenient for Betty that her Mother and her Contractor are at odds, I suppose,” Beatrice hopped down from her small ladder, setting a book down as she does, “but you will have to speak with Mother and convince her of the same. Betty loves her Mother, in fact, but Betty holds little sway over changing her mind once it's made up.”

“I see. Do you mind if I stay here for a bit while I talk to Echidna, then? That will ensure that nobody bothers us.”

“Betty is not opposed to that.”

“By the way, the door to our room is locked and Emilia won't open it,” he told her.

"Then Betty will use her door-crossing, in fact," the spirit walked up to the exit of the library and opened the door.

“Beatrice!?” Emilia's voice could be heard from the next room.

Closing the door behind her, Beatrice disappeared.

_Now then, time for a talk._

Turning away from the door, and _g_ rasping the jewel in his right hand, Subaru called to her, “Echidna! We need to speak!”

A moment passed.

“ _What can the Witch of Greed do for you, dear contractor?”_

_“_ I need you to get along with Emilia. The way things are right now isn't going to work. Full-stop.”

_“I see no reason to be friendly toward that girl.”_

“Here's a reason. If you don't agree to be nice to her I'll end our contract right now.”

_“...I see.”_

"Don't get me wrong, your help is important, and I'd like to have you onboard, but everything falls apart if Emilia and mine's relationship is compromised. It's the number-one most important thing. Also, you can't order Beatrice around anymore. She's contracted to Emilia now, so you'll have to live with it."

“ _What do you see in that girl? Being near her has brought you nothing but pain and death.”_

Subaru scowled, “She's brought me a hell of a lot more than that, Echidna.”

“She's brought me the warmth of a sincere smile. She showed me what it's like to have a person who I would both live and die for. She unfroze my heart that had hidden from the world for a long time. I learned that a laugh can sound like a silver bell. I realized that the scent of the person you love can bring many different emotions all at once. I found out what it's like to ache for the presence of someone else, to feel like part of you is missing when they aren't there. For the first time, I decided that someday I'd like to have children. And just today, I learned that if you love someone truly and deeply, and you hurt them, that hurt comes back on you even stronger, making you hate yourself for what you've done.”

“Subaru...”

Whirling, Subaru looked back toward the door that Beatrice had exited through.

Emilia was standing there, with her hands over her mouth, tears streaming.

“Echidna,” he spoke once more, “get your shit together or this contract is done.” Taking off the necklace, he dropped it on the table next to Beatrice's ladder. He strode up to Emilia, grabbing her hands.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, but I did. Sometimes I can be a real dumbass so I might need you to keep me in check now and then."

She nodded, starting to smile.

“I put Echidna in her place. If she gets out of line the contract is over.”

Once again, Emilia nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“Uh, how much of that did you hear?”

“Starting at the part about the warmth of a sincere smile,” she replied, her eyes laughing and happy.

“Wow, um. So...”

“Did you mean it? What you said when you were chewing her out?”

He gave her a sheepish smile.

“Yeah. My life is a thousand times better than it was before you came along.”

Wrapping her in an embrace, he whispered in her ear.

“Thank you. You've made me truly happy for the first time in my life.”

“I feel the same way,” she squeezed him back, “I've always been so lonely, but when you came along everything changed.”

She leaned back to look at his eyes.

“Thank you, Natsuki Subaru.”

She put her forehead on his chest.

Her voice whispered.

“Thank you so much.”

They stayed this way for a while, entwined in a loving embrace.

On the other side of the door to their room, stood a twin-drilled girl.

The girl had a smug smile on her face.

_Someone finally chewed mother out, I suppose._

***********************************************************************************

Subaru decided to banish Echidna's crystal to the library until morning.

_Maybe that'll give her a taste of what Beatrice had to deal with,_ he thought.

The next morning, the mansion was a flurry of activity, as its inhabitants all prepared for the journey to the capital. Two carriages were laden with all manner of luggage. A few villagers listened intently to Rem as she instructed them on matters of watching over Roswaal's estate while they were gone. As everyone met out front to depart, travel arrangements were made.

Subaru, Emilia, Beatrice, and Garfiel, would ride in one carriage with Rem driving. Roswaal and Ram would ride in the other with Frederica driving. As they departed, they headed for the Lifaus plain, home to the Great Flugel Tree.

As they were still traveling through the forest, Subaru took Echidna's necklace out of his pocket.

“Emilia-tan, I'm going to put this back on, but only if you say it's ok.” He turned to look at her.

“It's ok,” she nodded, “if you say that she's agreed to be nice then that's enough for now.”

Putting it on, he grasped the gem once again.

“Echidna.”

_“...Yes.”_

_“_ Do you agree to what we talked about?”

“ _Yes.”_

_No hesitation,_ he thought,  _good._

“Then we can continue this little experiment, for now. No more trash-talking Emilia. I mean it.”

“ _As you wish. I will tolerate the girl.”_

“Ok, I'll call for you if we need your wisdom. That's all for now.”

Letting go of the pendant, he turned to Emilia and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Ok then, I'm glad to see that things seem to have worked out,” relief was visible on her face.

"Cap'n," Garfiel asked for his attention, "I'm gonna hop over to the other carriage. I haven't seen my sis in forever."

“You should probably apologize, too,” Subaru said, “women don't take well to being called huge, as a general rule.”

“Yeah, I learned from tha best about that, apologizin', that is,” he nodded at Subaru and crawled out the window. A loud thump could be heard as he launched himself off of the roof of their carriage toward the one behind him.

Subaru could hear Frederica yelp as he landed next to her.

When they entered the plain, it was still late morning. They should be able to reach the capital early in the afternoon.

As the two carriages began to near the Flugal Tree, they entered a heavy fog.


	20. Hakugei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A magic fog has descended on the plains near the Flugel Tree. Two carriages make their way toward the capital, but something is coming. Something powerful.

Chapter 20- Hakugei

Rem had slowed down the carriage, careful to navigate the thick fog the travelers had encountered without incident.

“This will delay our arrival, but it shouldn't cause any major issues as long as we are cautious,” the maid had told them through the window at the front of the coach.

Subaru turned to Emilia, who had Beatrice in her lap. He put an arm around her shoulder, and leaned toward her, enjoying the feeling of closeness. As he did this, Beatrice hopped out of her lap and went to a side-window, opening its sliding glass. Sticking her arm out into the foggy air, Beatrice had a concerned look on her face.

“Something is amiss,” the spirit spoke ominously, “there are traces of mana in this fog, in fact.”

Simultaneously, Roswaal was staring out the window of the other carriage, as Ram worked to prepare his mid-morning tea.

“This fog is noooooot a natural occurrence,” he mentioned to the Oni girl as she handed him a teacup, “I believe we may be in for a bit of troooooouble.”

“We will deal with any threats swiftly,” Ram was unmoved, “the amount of martial strength in these two carriages is significant.”

Setting the teacup down, Roswaal pulled a black book out of a hidden pocket in his cape. Flipping through the pages, he came to the newest entry.

As he read the newly-formed writing on its pages, a manic smile suddenly appeared on his face.

“Ram, tell the others to prepare for battle,” the clown quivered with excitement, “and make haste.”

Swiftly, Ram put away the traveling tea-set she had been using and climbed out to the roof of the carriage. Making her way up to the driver's seat, she interrupted the two laughing siblings who sat there.

“Something is coming,” the two blondes turned to listen, “we need to make ready for battle.”

Turning to look at each other, the siblings nodded, faces becoming serious.

“I'll go and let the Cap'n know. Sis,” he put a hand on her shoulder, “whatever's goin' on, be careful.” He then crouched, and with a leap flew forward toward the other carriage.

Sighing at the interrupted reunion, Frederica looked back at Ram, who now had her wand out and was crouched down, scanning the area around them with her eyes. Resigning herself to the situation, she reached into the folds of her maid uniform and pulled out a set of twin caestes, with studded knuckle-guards. Fitting them onto her hands, she began scanning the landscape around them as they slowly traveled forward.

“Have you tried your clairvoyance?” The blonde asked the pink-haired girl behind her.

“Yes,” Ram replied, “unfortunately all wildlife has evacuated the area. Something has frightened everything away.”

***********************************************************************************

A loud thud resounded from the roof of their carriage, as Subaru and Emilia looked up, startled.

“Garf must be back,” Subaru surmised.

Climbing back in through the window, Garfiel looked to be in a state of alertness.

“Rem, can ya hear me!?”

“Yes,” Rem looked back at him through the window slot at the front of the coach.

“All of us, we need ta get ready ta fight,” Garfiel opened a cabinet in a corner of the carriage, pulling out his twin shields, “Roswaal said something is coming and from the sounds of things it ain't friendly.”

“Shit, never a dull moment!” Subaru held up his sword, then his mind reached out to his spirits.

_Ladies, are you there?_

_ <We are here.> _ They replied from within the jewel embedded in his sword's cross-guard.

_Get ready, it looks like a fight is coming._

_ <Yes, contractor.>_

Grasping the jewel hanging from his neck, Subaru sent his thoughts to Echidna.

“Echidna, are you there?”

“ _Yes, I am aware of your situation via our contract. I believe you will soon encounter the Hakugei.”_

"Hakugei? What's that?" He replied. As he said this the others in the coach turned at him with looks of horror.

_“The White Whale, one of the three great Mabeasts you seek to vanquish.”_

_Damn it!_ He thought to himself,  _It's too early! We don't have a plan in place to fight it yet!_

“What can you tell me about it, Echidna?”

“ _The White Whale was created by Daphne, the Witch of Gluttony, some 400 years ago. It is very large, around fifty meters in length. Its body is covered in hairs that disperse mana, making it practically immune to magical attack. In addition, it can split itself into three 'copies' each of which is not as strong as the original. It has the ability to emit a roar that incapacitates some who hear it, even driving a portion of victims mad. Lastly, its most dangerous ability is its fog of erasure. A blast of fog can be emitted from its mouth, and if a person is hit by this fog, they die and their very existence is erased. It will be as if they never lived in the first place, all memories of them are erased and any traces of their lives are removed from existence."_

“Son of a BITCH!” then, after thanking Echidna for the info, Subaru turned to where Rem drove the coach.

“Rem! Bring us to a stop! We need to get with the others and make a plan!”

***********************************************************************************

Subaru, Emilia, Beatrice, Garfiel, Rem, Ram, Frederica, and Roswaal stood in a circle, attempting to quickly hash out a battle plan to combat the Great Mabeast that would soon be upon them. Subaru had just finished recapping to the gathered fighters what they faced, and the extent of the whale's capabilities.

_We should have brought Reinhard!_ He was chiding himself for leaving their most powerful ally in the capital.

“Ranged damage dealers! Roswaal, Beatrice, Emilia, Ram!” Subaru began to formulate a plan, “try to keep it distracted! Especially you, Roswaal, since you can fly I need you to hassle the shit out of it from above. Keep it off of us close-range attackers. That would be Rem, Garfiel, Frederica, and myself. Everyone here except for Beatrice is capable of great foot speed, so Emilia, carry Beatrice on your back. Do any of you have any crazy tricks or abilities that I need to know about?”

After a moment, Garfiel spoke up, “Uh, Sis an' me can both transform into a beast form. Her's is like a big orange leopard, mine is an even huger angry-ass tiger.”

"I see, you two use that at your discretion. I might call on you if an idea comes up," Subaru continued, "We CANNOT get caught grouped up in a tight formation, one blast of fog could wipe us all out. Try to stay dispersed, and hit it in turns, staying away from its front. That goes for both the ranged attackers and the vanguard fighters."

“Barusu,” Ram spoke up, “I will be able to fight for a little while, but my mana pool is very small, so I can't keep up a prolonged assault.”

"What did you do to my name just now?" He replied, then shook the strange nickname from his mind, "anyway, then stay on standby with the carriages. If we need you specifically then I'll call on you. If we all do our jobs, then we should keep its attention well enough that you'll be safe."

Ram looked at Roswaal, who nodded, approving of the Knight's plan.

Abruptly, the area they were standing in darkened, as a huge shadow passed by overhead.

“Roswaal! Disperse the fog around us with some wind magic!”

“As you wiiiish, Subaru-samaaaaa! AL FULA!” As Roswaal yelled this, a mighty blast of wind drove the fog back from the group, giving them a couple hundred yards of clear sight in every direction.

Looking up, Subaru's eyes widened in terror.

The monstrous white whale flew overhead. It had a strange pinkish-colored sigil on its back, presumably being the thing that allowed it to fly. A large horn protruded from its forehead. As it gained distance from them, it banked around, pointed toward them, and swiftly began flying in their direction.

"Scatter! Remember the plan!" Subaru yelled as he sent mana pouring into his body, and took off running perpendicular to the direction the great beast was flying. The fighters all scattered in many other directions.

Rem was the first to attack, running parallel to the length of the whale's body, she jumped on its pectoral fin, then leaped high on its back. She swung her flail downward, slamming it into the skin of the beast, eliciting a shower of blood from where her weapon struck.

The whale let loose a mighty bellow, unhappy that the victims it sought to consume were fighting back.

<WHAM> Garfiel slammed into the right side of its mouth, swinging his right hand into it as hard as he could, knocking the whale to the left.

<WHAM> Frederica followed up her brother's assault a few feet to his left.

“Tuff fucker, ain't ya!” Garfiel now ran beside the whale, matching its speed.

As Rem lept off of its back, Roswaal began pummeling it from above with fire magic. Banking to go after the clown, the whale made a wide turn to its left.

“El Minya!”

“El Huma!”

Beatrice and Emilia fired a multitude of purple and white icy spikes at the whale's unguarded right side, and with a satisfying shower of blood, the spikes met their marks.

Again the whale howled, defiant at the petulant beings who dared to challenge it.

Subaru came alongside the whale and finally drew his sword. It glowed white as his spirits sent elemental power through the blade.

“Take this you fucker!!!” Accelerating, he aimed toward the beast's pectoral fin, then jumped toward it and simultaneously sliced downward. The blade cleanly cleaved through the fin's flesh, severing it from the whale's body. As the fin crashed to the ground, a huge spray of blood erupted from the stump it had left behind.

The monster roared with pain and anger.

Garfiel and Frederica came alongside Subaru as the three sped next to the whale.

“Way to go, Cap'n!” Garfiel had a huge smile on his face, “you took a piece of 'im!”

“We should go for its eyes. It'll be a sitting duck if we blind it!” Subaru relayed.

"Alright, I'll get over on the other side of 'im and pummel the shit outta the one over there," Garfiel jumped up on the whale's back and disappeared to the other side.

“He seems excited,” Subaru grinned at Frederica.

“My little brother has always had a certain talent for violence,” returning him a fangy smile, the maid leaped to follow her brother.

Looking backward, Subaru could see Roswaal once again winding up to bombard the beast from above.

“AL GOA!!!”

<BTOOOOM> A mighty cascade of fire repeatedly battered the whale's back.

The whale roared, seeking the perpetrator it this latest assault. Just as it began to turn again, it slowed and began shaking its head quickly left and right, as if trying to dislodge something.

On the other side of the beast, Garfiel had slammed a shielded fist into the whale's eye, and then grabbed it, putting his feet against the bony skull at the edge of the organ, he pulled.

"RRRRRAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!" The massive eye came free of its socket, and the connecting tissues snapped as Garfiel viciously flung it away from the whale. The eye made a loud thud as it landed and rolled for a distance before stopping.

Screeching in pain, the whale began to ascend, climbing swiftly to several hundred feet in the air. Garfiel clung to the eye socket, gritting his teeth. Looking back toward the body of the creature, he could see several rows of odd holes had opened upon its skin.

"Tha fuck is that?" Leaping onto the whale's back, he landed near one of the holes to examine it. As he leered over the strange cavity, a blast of fog suddenly erupted from it, as well as the others along its body.

“So that's where all tha damn fog comes from,” Garfiel concluded.

The whale made an abrupt turn, and Garfiel lost his balance, falling through the air. As he neared the ground, he put his feet under him, landing with a crash, he rolled forward and came to a stop on his feet.

Fog began to once again descend over the area, making it difficult to know where their allies, as well as the whale itself, were at.

“Emilia!” Subaru stood in the blinding fog, frantic to find her, “EMILIA!!!”

"Here!" He heard her voice to his left and began running, soon she appeared within the mist, Beatrice still riding on her back.

“Where's Roswaal? We need him to clear this fog again,” Subaru concluded.

“He was above the whale before,” Emilia searched the fog, “but I lost sight of him when it ascended.”

<SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECH>

An unholy screaming sound sounded across the plain.

Both of them falling to their knees, Subaru and Emilia, as well as Beatrice, covered their ears in pain.

Reeling from the sound, Subaru moved his hands to his face and began scratching it.

_It's inside me! Must get it out! Must get it out!_

Losing all sense, he rolled on the ground frantically scratching at his face. 

“Subaru! Stop!” Emilia jumped to his side, grabbing and pulling his arms away from his face.

“Heal him, Beatrice, I'll keep him from hurting himself!”

“Betty will heal him, in fact,” from Emilia's back, Beatrice pointed her hands forward and began casting healing magic on Subaru. This seemed to help calm him, and the wounds on his face began to close.

Within a minute, Subaru had regained himself and sat up, “What the hell was that?”

“An attack on the mind, I suppose,” Beatrice replied, “facilitated by this mana-infused fog, in fact.”

A scream could be heard somewhere in the fog, and jumping to their feet, the trio whipped around toward it.

"That sounded like Rem," Subaru said, "Hey, do you hear that?"

A faint rumbling came from the direction of the scream. They strained to hear it.

“Does it sound like it's getting closer to you?” Emilia asked him.

“I can't tell,” he replied.

The rumble abruptly grew louder as something appeared in front of them.

It was the whale's mouth, wide open, and headed right for them. Subaru shoved Emilia out of the way, she flew backward with a hand outstretched, in a futile attempt to grab his.

“Subaru! No!!!” She landed out of the whale's reach, but Subaru wasn't so lucky.

The whale's bottom jaw was scraping the ground, picking up soil as it moved forward, making the rumbling sound they had heard. The dirt under Subaru's feet was already crumbling, and he became trapped up to his knees. As the whale's bottom jaw collided with Subaru's shins, it forced them toward his rear, snapping his knees backward in the process.

“Gyackh!” Searing pain shot into his mind and he felt his legs crunch, and his body pitched forward, his chest landing on the bottom row of teeth. Feeling his ruined legs tear off below his knees, he screamed in agony. Turning to look behind him, Subaru saw the top row of teeth moving down toward him.

<crunch>

The whale bit down, crushing his chest between its teeth.

“Blurgh!” Organs crushed, blood began erupting from Subaru's mouth, as he began spasming inside the pitch black of the whale's mouth. His neurons overfired and sent him overwhelming amounts of pain. Seizure overtook him, and breathing became impossible.

And then, Natsuki Subaru died.

***********************************************************************************

“An attack on the mind, I suppose,” Beatrice replied, “facilitated by this mana-infused fog, in fact.”

“Wha-” Subaru found himself sitting, looking a Beatrice as she spoke of the whale's fog.

His hands flew to his chest, clutching at where his heart and lungs were. He began shuddering, gasping as he recalled the agony of being crushed while still alive. Beatrice's brows furrowed, and healing magic again flared from her hands.

Shaking, his mind was awash with the traumatic experience he'd just gone through.

_Pain. Pain. Pain._

_I died again._

_It hurt. It hurt so bad._

The powerful spirit knight flopped over onto his side, trembling, as the awful memories assaulted him. His arms were now crossed, each hand holding onto a shoulder as madness threatened to consume him.

_I can't. I can't. It's coming. Pain. It hurt so bad._

Pale arms pulled him back up to sit and embraced him.

“I won't let anything happen to you.”

The girl held him. She cooed words of encouragement into his ear quietly.

“I know it's been hard. It seems like everywhere we go, enemies are at our doorstep. But we're both still alive, and we have many friends who fight by our side now.” She stroked his black hair gently.

His trembling decreased, as he leaned into her embrace and relaxed.

_She's here. We're alive._

Taking deep breaths, he focused his mind. He reached up to caress her face briefly, then he began to stand up.

_This time the checkpoint's close,_ Subaru recalled,  _no time to mess around and feel sorry for myself._

Grabbing Emilia's hand, Subaru told her, “thank you Emilia-tan. I lost myself for a bit there. But we gotta move, the whale is coming this way!”

“How can you tell?” She asked as they began to run, Beatrice clinging to her back.

A scream could be heard ahead of them.

_Just like last time,_ he thought.

Turning to move at a 45-degree angle to where the scream had come from, he ran with Emilia and Beatrice intending to get out of the whale's path. Once he was satisfied that the beast would pass them by, he turned to run toward the source of the scream they'd heard.

They found Rem unconscious on the ground, bleeding profusely from an abdominal wound.

“We gotta get her some help!” Picking her up in a princess carry, he spun around, “which way to the carriages!?”

Stirring slightly in his arms, Rem opened her eyes, “I can feel my sister's presence,” she pointed to their left, “that way,” then she closed her eyes again.

Sprinting through the fog, they needed to get the Oni girl to safety so she could be healed. He examined her wound with his eyes as he ran, concluding that the whale tried to bite her but she managed to glance off of the assault. Soon, they came upon the coaches.

“What happened to Rem!?” Ram was standing in front of the carriages waiting expectantly when she saw Subaru carry a wounded Rem out of the mist.

“I'm not sure, I think the whale almost bit her,” laying her down inside the front coach on one of its long seats, he stepped back, “we all got separated in the fog.”

“Beatrice, can you stay here and heal her?” Emilia asked her spirit, “the two of us can go help fight.”

“Betty will stay with her, in fact,” the girl nodded and began to cast a healing spell.

Ram watched as the magic flared to life, healing the person she held dearest in the world. Her emotions were a jumble, and a single tear streaked down her face.

_I've been nothing but terrible to these people, but here they are, helping my little sister regardless of the way we've treated them._ Her face turned to see the pair, satisfied smiles were on both of their faces.

“Emilia-sama, Subaru-sama,” hearing this, Emilia and Subaru turned to see a bowing Ram, “I must apologize for myself and my sister. We have never been anything but cold to you, but you have saved dear Rem. Ram is grateful to the both of you.”

“Ram, raise your head,” Subaru said softly.

Ram straightened to listen to what the knight had to say.

"We're all on the same team now. That means we all have a responsibility to watch each others' backs. We'll look out for you and your sister, while the two of you look out for us. It's the same for Garfiel, Frederica, and even Roswaal. When it comes to keeping everyone safe, nobody here is more important than anyone else, I and Emilia included. Although..." he turned to look at Emilia, "I do probably put more energy into making sure that Emilia-tan is safe than anyone else."

Emilia smiled at him, “you're such a hypocrite, you dummy.”

“That I am,” he turned back to Ram, “so rely on us, Ram. And we'll rely on you.”

A surprised expression adorned the Oni-girl's face, then she relaxed and smiled.

“As you wish, Barusu,” she pointed at the carriage door, “if the others are relying on you, it would be best if you returned to the battle. Big sister will watch over Rem and Beatrice.”

***********************************************************************************

As the couple headed back into the foggy plain, the whale's roars could be heard, but it sounded like they were coming from multiple directions.

“Emilia, we'll have to be extra careful now. I think it's split onto three from the sounds of things.”

“AL FULA!” A blast of wind once again removed most of the fog, blowing it away to reveal Roswaal in the epicenter, floating 50 or so feet in the air.

Looking around, Subaru could see that there were now three whales. The one nearest to them was chasing Frederica, who was having trouble staying ahead of it.

“We need to help Frederica! Let's go, Emilia!” Darting forward, the couple sped toward the fleeing beast girl. Drawing his sword, he yelled to Emilia, “Hit it with a big spell to take some heat off of her!”

"AL HUMA!" A huge ten-meter spear of ice appeared, and rocketed toward the whale, crashing into its side and impaling it, the point sticking out the other side.

“Damn, Emilia-tan.”

Subaru looked at the whale she had skewered. It was missing its right pectoral fin.

_Is that the original?_

He looked at the next closest one, about a hundred yards away. It was missing its left eye.

Looking at the last one, which flew high above, he could see the fin was missing.

_And the eye?_

As it turned its other side toward him, the left eye was gone.

_So two are just copies, if we kill the original will it stop all three?_

Subaru sprinted forward, and gathering mana in his body jumped onto the nearest whale's back. Sword glowing white, he slammed it down into the whale's flesh and took off running from the front of its back toward the rear, cutting a long gash near the length of the entire creature, before he reached its tail. Stopping there, he once again gathered mana and had his spirits reinforce the sword, slashing downward, the blade cleaved the tail from the creature, immobilizing it.

Emitting a pained cry, the whale clone crashed into the ground, pushing up a hill of dirt in front of it as it skidded to a stop. Dashing toward the front of the creature, Subaru stopped on top of its head, where he could now see Frederica had escaped and had turned around to regard the creature that had been chasing her. Looking up, she saw Subaru on top of the downed beast and bowed.

“Thank you, Subaru-sama!”

“All in a day's work, Frederica! I'll finish this one off, go see if your brother needs help!” He replied.

As the maid sprinted away, Subaru pointed his sword straight up at the sky. He commanded his six spirits to ramp up to maximum output, and his sword flared, a boom sounding out as it began to emit massive amounts of pure white light.

A hundred or so yards away, Garfiel,'s eyes were promptly narrowed as he sprinted alongside one of the other whales. A booming sound, then a second sun seemed to have appeared in front of him. As he ran he shielded his eyes until they adjusted to the brilliant spectacle. There he saw Subaru on top of one of the other whales, sword held aloft emitting a mighty glow.

Garfiel's eyes sparkled with admiration, "Oi Cap'n! That's cool as fuck!" Deciding he didn't want to be outdone, Garfiel slammed a shielded fist into the nearby whale's midsection, sending its path awry.

As soon as he'd done this, Roswaal bombarded the whale once again from above, then turned to take in the spectacle of Natsuki Subaru's swordsmanship.

_Let's see what you can doooo, Subaru-samaaaaaa,_ he watched with interest.

Turning the sword downward, Subaru stood straight above where the creature's brain would be, and stabbed the sword straight down. Burying it to the hilt, he commanded the spirits to release their power into the whale's cranium.

The beast began to spasm, and smoke started rising from it. It gurgled a cry as the remaining eyeball exploded. As the whale flinched violently, Subaru couched to keep a low base of gravity and not be flung from the creature's back.

“Die, you fucker!!!” He yelled at the writhing monster.

Then at last it went still, smoke still rising from its corpse. Then, Subaru, felt a falling sensation as the whale simply dissolved, ceasing to be.

Landing in a crouch, Subaru sheathed his sword, then considered the situation.

_That one was probably a clone and not the original._

Emilia came running up to him, “so far so good! Now what?”

“We should try to figure out which one is the original. This one was a clone, and not as tough as the first one we were fighting.” He looked up at the one who remained high in the sky. 

“That's got to be the one,” he pointed, “it's hanging around up there making its clones to the dirty work.” He looked over toward the one he believed to be a clone. Garfiel, Roswaal, and Frederica were fighting that one. It was bearing down quickly on Garfiel, who was standing in front of it, facing it.

"Move out of its way Garf!!!" Subaru prepared to come to his new friend's aid at maximum speed.

But as he watched, Garfiel began quickly growing in size, as he turned into a huge bipedal tiger, when the whale was about to collide with him he reached out with huge arms and caught it, feet skidding on the earth. The whale ceased its forward movement, unable to free itself from the tiger's grasp.

“He stopped it!” Emilia was flabbergasted.

“I'm glad that dude is on our side.” Subaru nodded, satisfied that the other three seemed to have that one under control.

Looking back up at the one in the sky, Subaru decided.

“I'm going after the boss.”

Bending his knees, and gathering power, Subaru evoked a yin magic spell.

“Murac.” He felt the effects of gravity leave him.

With all the force he could muster, he jumped. Rocketing into the sky.

“Subaru that was soooo coooool.” Emilia watched as he blasted upward toward the original whale.

The main whale was circling above when it caught a particular scent.

_Something near,_ Its primitive mind deduced.

Looking down it could see a human flying upward, straight in its direction.

_Witch scent._

Turning and diving toward the human the whale opened its mouth.

Subaru saw it do this and grimaced as the whale had seen him coming. Canceling the effect of Murac, he arced and began to fall. But it was too late.

The whale was now upon him. Diving faster than he could fall, he flipped around toward the beast, looking for a course of action. An abrupt buildup of white fog began to boil up from the creature's mouth.

_The fog of elimination!_

Terrified, Subaru flipped around and straightened his body to dive down as quickly as air resistance would let him. The whale was still gaining on him, however, and soon he heard a blast from behind him as his world became a sea of white.

Then, nothing.

Natsuki Subaru had died.

***********************************************************************************

“AL FULA!” A blast of wind once again removed most of the fog, blowing it away to reveal Roswaal in the epicenter, floating 50 or so feet in the air.

Gasping, Subaru bent forward, putting his hands on his knees.

“Subaru! Are you ok!?” Emilia placed a hand on his back, stroking it.

_At least that death didn't hurt nearly as much as the one before,_ he thought.

Straightening, he patted her on the head.

“Sorry Emilia-tan, I think I inhaled too much nasty whale-fog.”

Subaru whirled to look at the clone whale that still lived, just in time to see a transformed Garfiel once again catch it, stopping it in its tracks. Frederica and Roswaal mercilessly assaulted it while Garf held it immobile. 

_They might finish that one off before we even get the main one dealt with at this rate._

“ _Contractor, you must not allow the clone whale to die before its main body. If you do then the original whale will flee."_

_“_ Hmm?” 

“ _I have arrived at a solution which will offer optimal results.”_

Echidna's voice rang out in his mind. Reaching to grasp the crystal, he looked at Emilia.

“Echidna has a plan.”

***********************************************************************************

Ram sat on the bench inside the carriage, with her sister's head in her lap.

A steady flow of healing magic streamed from Beatrice's hands, as she finished helping the blue-haired maid.

Looking down at her twin's pretty face, Ram felt grateful to her new benefactors.

Suddenly, a knock sounded out at the carriage door.

Beatrice and Ram turned to look at the door, then Ram gently laid her sister's head down as she went to open it, wand in hand.

She cracked the door open slightly, peeking out with one eye.

“Who's there?”

“Forgive me, miss! I was traveling from the Mathers domain and seem to have encountered some sort of great battle! I came upon your coaches and wanted to check and see if anyone was injured!”

Opening the door fully, Ram gestured at her sister and Beatrice.

"We have one injured, but she is being healed as we speak," Ram replied.

Sounds of the battle could be heard even from here, as the whale roared and explosions rang out. They could see none of the conflict from here, due to the whale's fog.

Wringing his hands together nervously, the young man in front of Ram spoke, “I see, then I hope you won't mind if I shelter here with you until things settle down?”

Sighing, Ram stepped aside to let the man in. “Very well, but keep quiet and be sure to keep your hands to yourself, or Ram will be forced to exact vengeance upon you.”

"Of course." Entering the coach, their visitor plopped down on the bench across from Rem and gave a sigh of relief.

He was a young man with shoulder-length grey hair, clad all in green, with a green hat.

He bowed his head at Ram, “if there's anything I can do to help, do not hesitate to ask.”

He raised his head, offering Ram a smile.

“Otto Suwen, at your service.”

***********************************************************************************

“Don't kill it!?” Frederica was dumbfounded. Emilia had just told her that they couldn't kill the whale they were fighting.

“If you do, the main body up there will run away, and we'll just have to track it down and fight it again.” Emilia was relaying their part of the plan so that Frederica could bring the others into the loop.

"Subaru is going to deal with the main body, and it's a pretty amazing plan."

_Even though it came from that Baka-Echidna,_ Emilia thought.

Looking behind her, Garfiel in his transformed state had his claws sunk into the whale, each time it tried to take flight he bashed it in the snout and Roswaal bombed it from above.

"AAAARRROOOOOOOOO," the clone whale let forth a pitiful noise as if asking for mercy.

“Subaru said to have Garf grab him by the tail and smack him against the Flugel Tree if the clone tried anything funny.” Emilia nodded to Frederica.

“With an incredulous look, the blonde maid shook her head, smiled a fanged smile, and bowed, “as you wish, Emilia-sama.” She then bounded off to relay the information to Garfiel and Roswaal.

_Now we have to do our part._ Emilia began sprinting with elven speed back to her beloved, who had crouched, studying the original whale's movements as it circled high in the sky.

Arriving at his side, she crashed into him in a haphazard embrace.

“Emilia?” He hadn't been ready for this.

“You better make damn sure to be as careful as possible, Natsuki Subaru!” There were no tears this time, but her emotions were laid bare, and her voice cracked, “this plan is dangerous, mostly for you. Make sure you come back to me! Do you hear what I'm saying, you nincompoop?”

"Nobody says nincompoop anymore, Emilia-tan."

He reached down where her face was buried in his chest, and lifted her chin. Caressing her lovely face, he smiled.

_The most beautiful girl in the world._

_The most wonderful girl in the world._

“Believe in me, Emilia-tan. I don't love you because I believe in you, I believe in you because I love you. If you can believe in me, then I'll do what it takes to make sure that those beliefs aren't lies. I want to make those beliefs as solid as the mountains, and as clear as the sky.”

“Subaru...” she was left speechless.

“It's time to fulfill our promise to the people of Lugunica. One of the promises we made at the Selection. As of today, the Hakugei will no longer terrorize anyone, ever again.”

Lifting her flushed face, centimeters away from their lips touching, her eyes became half-lidded.

“Come back to me, Natsuki Subaru, when this fight is over.”

“I intend to, Emilia-tan.”

They then melted together in a heartfelt kiss. It was a kiss that defied description because within it was fear of loss, heartfelt love, hope for the future, and... _intense desire._

As the kiss was reluctantly ended, the two lovers stared into each others' eyes for just a few moments. Understanding of a mutually desired future had blossomed between them when they began this journey, and now the roots ran deep.

Knowing now what he had to do, Subaru stood. Looking upward at the whale's original body, his resolve was complete.

_Venti, I'll need your help specifically this time._

_ <Venti will do what she can.>_

_Thank you, Venti. And the rest of you as well, thank you for everything._

_ <We are happy to serve, Contractor.> _ The spirits answered in unison.

“Are you ready, Emilia-tan?” His face showed a look of iron-clad resolve.

“I will do my part. Please...be careful.” She nodded to him with a reflection of the same resolve.

He nodded back to her, then turned, looking up at the whale that was so very high above them. Once again he bent his knees and forced power into his legs, as he'd done in the previous failed attempt at striking down the whale.

“Murac.”

With a boom, he leaped upward, flying toward the whale.

“Soooo coooool” Emilia watched him take off, then began to sprint once again.

_I need to get the placement exactly right!_ She watched him as he flew upward, attempting to gauge where he would come down.

As Subaru reached the halfway point, he canceled the effect of Murac, arcing through the air once again, he began to fall.

_I can't let it get too close, not while I'm in the air and can't maneuver._

Now it was time for his secret weapon, one that only he and Echidna knew about.

***********************************************************************************

“You want me to use the Witches' scent to attract the whale?” Subaru stood next to Emilia, as Echidna explained her plan to defeat the whale.

“ _Indeed. As a mabeast, even the White Whale will be driven to seek one who emits the miasma inherent to the bearer of a Witch-Factor. I would suggest further that once you come into range, you evoke the wrath of the Witch of Envy by attempting to speak of your Authority of Envy. This will significantly increase the amount of miasma you are emitting."_

_“_ I see. Do you think the power me and my spirits possess will be enough to complete the final step? That thing is bigger around than anything I've managed to cut through up to this point.”

“ _If you use the absolute maximum output of both your mana and your spirits, I believe you will be up to the task."_

***********************************************************************************

“Hey! You big white bastard!” Subaru began to fall downward, “because of you I've died twice and-”

Time froze.

Everything within Subaru's sight became dark, as a shadowy woman appeared before him.

“Our secret,” she spoke as a shadowy arm reached out to grasp his heart, and gently squeezed.

“Grrk!” Pain exploded in his chest, but Subaru knew he had to bear it, to make the next step in their plan bear fruit.

"Witch of Envy," he spoke to her before time began to move again, "what do you want with me?"

“Love you. Love you. Love you. Love you.”

Before he could react, time began flowing once again. Miasma was now flowing out of him so thickly that it was visible.

_Do your thing, Venti!!!_

A tremendous wind blew up from underneath him, carrying the witches' scent upward, straight to the white whale. Roaring, it swiftly shifted direction and dived downward, chasing the man that emitted a scent which intoxicated any mabeast it found.

_It's up to you now, Emilia._

Sprinting along the ground at incredible speed, a silver-haired half-elf watched the man she loved free-fall from several hundred yards in the air. Finally arriving under him as he plummeted straight down, she began to cast.

_“You've seen how I use my spirits to channel magic without incantation,”_ he had told her, “ _you can do the same thing, use your gate to push the mana through and visualize what form you want the magic to take. Then command it to adhere to that form, and it will take shape.”_

She thrust her hands out in front of her and commanded the mana with her mind. Power flowed freely as in front of her, the magic took on physical form. Concentrating, she poured power into the spell, bringing it to completion.

Before her, there was now a massive ramp constructed of ice. It was designed to catch her beloved knight and slow down his descent, shooting him forward parallel to the ground.

She looked up, hoping that she had gotten the placement right.

Subaru spun in the air, satisfied that there was enough distance between him and the whale. He saw the ramp Emilia had constructed, and flipped his feet downward, accelerating to terminal velocity. He steered as best he could, aiming to land at the top of the ramp and slide down it.

_This is just like when mom and dad took me to Barnacle Bill's water park! That's all it is! Easy peasy!_ Gathering his courage, he prepared for impact.

"OOOOF!!!" He landed near the top of the ramp, which had a near-vertical angle. Sliding down it on his backside his speed began to diminish as the ice offered a tiny amount of friction. He craned his neck to look behind and saw that the whale was nearly upon him.

“Grk!” As the ramp began to run parallel to the ground where he slid upon it, the whale slammed into the top of the structure, destroying it in an explosion of ice shards, as it pursued the bearer of the miasma.

"Ul Huma!" Emilia cast at the whale, and a large pillar of ice erupted from the earth beneath the whale, slamming into its open jaw, forcing its mouth shut, and slowing the whale down.

"So far so good!" Subaru neared the end of the ramp and whirled to get his feet under him. Just as he was about to hit the soil, he jumped forward and rolled, finally coming to a stop in a crouched position. He spun around, sending mana into his body as the whale bore down on him.

Its mouth was open again now, and a blast of cursed fog erupted forth from it. Subaru lept over the deadly mist, aiming for the top of the whale's head. As he fell he drew his sword and spoke to his spirits.

_This is it, ladies! This one's for all the marbles! Please! Give me everything you've got!_

_ <Yes.> _ They replied.

<BTOOM> The sword flared to life once again, teeming with power.

Ramping up his mana output to the absolute maximum, Subaru fought back nausea as mana poisoning threatened to overtake him.

_Gotta keep it under control!_

Rocketing forward, he held his sword down to his left side near his hip, gripping it with both hands. He twisted so that he could rotate his body with the blow as he neared his target:

The massive horn that jutted from the top of the whale's head.

Colliding his blade with the horn, it began to cut through the bony extrusion.

***********************************************************************************

“ _If a person were to break off the horn of any mabeast, they would then come to be the beast's master. The White Whale is no exception in this regard.”_

“You're telling me that we can bring the fucking WHITE WHALE under my control!?”

_“I am. This would be the optimal outcome you seek, am I correct, Contractor?”_

“I won't deny it, the strength of a beast like the White Whale would be a welcome addition to our cause. Thank you, Echidna. Your wisdom has been a boon to us. We'll carry out your plan as directed.”

“ _Indeed, Contractor, luck be with you in its execution.”_

Letting the crystal once again rest against his chest, Subaru spoke to Emilia.

“We're not just going to kill the whale.”

She listened, as he declared that they were going to attempt the impossible.

“We're going to add its strength to our own.”

***********************************************************************************

“YEEEEEEEAAAARRRGH!!!!!!”

Sparks flew and the air around them vibrated violently as Subaru struggled to sever the whale's massive horn. His sword had cut two-thirds of the way through it.

The whale screeched in protest, as the assault on its horn vibrated its very being.

_Gotta turn it up a little more!_ Subaru increased his mana output beyond what his body could normally handle. The sword started moving again, cutting through the hard material.

Pulling slightly and twisting his body to maximized his leverage, Subaru gave everything he had to the blow.

“GYYYAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”

His blade swung free, as it cut through the last remnants of the horn's base.

***********************************************************************************

As Garfiel held the tail of the clone whale, it screeched in protest. Still in his beast form, he had little patience for the creature's lamentations.

“RRRRAAAGGGHHHH!” He roared, swinging the whale like the world's biggest baseball bat, and slammed its body against the Flugel Tree.

Suddenly, the whale he held in his paws began to evaporate. Panicking, he transformed back into his normal form and yelled to Frederica, who was several yards away.

“Shit, Sis! Did I kill it!?”

Looking back and forth as the creature dissolved, Frederica could offer no answer.

“I don't believe thaaaaat to be the case, Garfiel.” Roswaal floated down to land between the siblings, his gaze fixed toward where Subaru and Emilia had been fighting.

“Look, oooover there.”

The other two turned, looking where their allies were.

A creepy smile came upon Roswaal's face.

“The creature seems to have lost its horn.”

***********************************************************************************

“Cap'n!!!” Garfiel landed next to the two candidates, concerned for the man he had pledged to follow. “Princess! Is the Cap'n okay!?”

Emilia had Subaru laying on his back, as she kneeled on the ground giving him a lap pillow.

“Shhhh,” she brushed a lock of Subaru's hair from his face, “he used too much mana and overextended his body. He's in mild shock, but he should be ok in a little while.”

As Roswaal and Frederica arrived, they all turned to regard the now docile creature that floated nearby.

The White Whale hovered, its remaining eye gazing at its new master, waiting for him to awake.

“Fuckin' unreal.” In his fourteen years, Garfiel Tinzel had read many stories of chivalry and great battles against powerful foes.

But never in his young life had he read about anything like this.

“He actually did it. Subaru-sama tamed the White Whale.” Frederica regarded the vast creature with astonishment, as it hovered unmoving, gazing down at the unconscious knight.

The fog had now completely lifted, and hearing a noise with his keen ears, Garfiel turned to find the source of it.

“Ram is coming,” he squinted in the distance, “she's bringing one of the coaches.”

Barreling toward them, Ram could be seen in the driver's seat of a carriage, urging the ground dragon that pulled it on at high speed. As she pulled the carriage up near them, she brought it to a stop and hopped down. She looked at the whale cautiously, as she walked up to the group. The door at the back of the coach opened, and Beatrice, Rem, and an unknown man in green filed out.

Bowing to Roswaal, she then turned to regard Emilia and Subaru, who still lay unconscious on her lap.

“What is the current status?” Ram turned to her master.

“Subaru-samaaaaa and Emilia-sama have defeated the White Whale, and taaaaamed it in the process.”

Eyes going wide, the newcomers looked at the massive beast, then they turned to where the two candidates were on the ground.

“This is unprecedented, in fact,” Beatrice summed up the situation, “but if Betty's contractor is involved, it is to be expected, I suppose.”

“Please allow me to introduce myself, Otto Sewen, traveling merchant.” The man in green bowed to the gathered group, “Miss Ram allowed me to shelter in place with them as your battle was happening.” He turned to Roswaal, “am I to understand you are Margrave Mathers?”

“Indeeeeed I am,” Roswaal replied.

“Then I owe you my gratitude.” He turned to look at the hovering whale, “and it seems that the whole world owes your group a great deal of gratitude as well. This thing has been a menace to all of humanity and beyond for hundreds of years.”

Subaru stirred, as Emilia stroked his hair. The gathered group all moved to watch as the knight began to awaken.

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw many faces gathered near him. Looking around, he groggily recounted all of the people who had been traveling with them. Then, he turned his eyes up, to meet two deep pools of amethyst, which returned his gaze.

_Ah. We did it._

“Good morning, handsome.” She gave him a beautiful smile.

“Good morning, gorgeous.” He croaked out weakly, returning her sentiment.

“Everyone made it? Is everyone ok?” He tried turning his head to look around at the group.

“We're all ok, thanks to you.” Emilia cooed down at him, still stroking his black hair, “everyone made it.”

“You've accomplished something quite graaaaaand today, Subaru-sama.” Roswaal intoned, bowing to the candidates.

“Cap'n, that was tha coolest fuckin' thing I've ever seen.” Garfiel hopped about excitedly.

"Thanks to you, many lives have been saved." Frederica was in awe and bowed as well.

“My life was one of them,” Rem bowed, “thank you Subaru-sama, Emilia-sama, Beatrice-sama.”

“You helped my sister, Ram is forever grateful.” Ram also bowed deeply.

“It seems Betty chose her contractor well, in fact.” Beatrice approached Emilia, “as did her contractor in choosing a mate, I suppose.”

Hearing all of the praise for her beloved, Emilia turned to look at him, then leaned down and gathered him in an embrace. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“I'm so proud of you, Subaru! You did such an amazing job!”

Enjoying the positive attention from the gathered group, Subaru weakly returned her hug.

After a few minutes, he shakily got to his feet, Emilia standing next to him.

“I suppose there's one thing left to do, then.”

He approached the whale, its gaze fixed upon him. Placing a hand on its rough skin, he attempted to communicate with it.

_Hakugei._ He sent his thought to the great mabeast.

< _Yes, Master. > _ It replied.

_I would have you cease your attacks on humans and demi-humans from this day forth._

_ <Yes, master. Hakugei will no longer attack humans or demi-humans.>_

_If you find yourself stricken with hunger, you will hunt mabeasts and consume them, from now on._

_ <Yes, Master. Hakugei will eat mabeasts from now on.>_

_You may go, but in the future, a time will come when I will call upon you to aid us in battle. When that day comes, I expect that you will answer the call._

_ <Yes, Master. Call Hakugei when it is needed. Hakugei will answer.>_

_Go then, and bother humanity no longer._

As he stepped away from the massive beast, it ascended to the sky, flying northward in search of mabeasts to consume. Soon its monstrous form was no more than a dot on the horizon.

Turning to the gathered group, he spoke, “The White Whale will hunt humans and demi-humans no longer. For the rest of its days, mabeasts will be its target and source of food.”

The group collectively gasped. Voices of great relief could be heard among them as many of them clapped each other on the shoulder, some embraced their siblings, and others offered a prayer of thanks to the Od Laguna. Among many of them, tears of joy were shed.

A stranger with grey hair, wearing all green approached Subaru and bowed.

"Great Knight, you have my thanks. As a traveling merchant, the menace of the White Whale is a danger I have always had to be wary of." Ending the bow, he extended a hand.

“Otto Suwen, merchant extraordinaire.”

“Natsuki Subaru, Spirit-Knight.”

“NATSUKI SUBARU!?” The merchant was flabbergasted, “the man who campaigns to rule lagunica alongside the half-elf Emilia!?”

“Yep,” Subaru pointed, “that's my Emilia-tan over there.”

Sensing that he had mentioned her, Emilia smiled sweetly and waved.

“ _Contractor, a word.”_

_“_ Ah, one second, Otto.” Subaru turned around, grabbing the jewel hanging from his neck, and speaking to it.

_“_ What is it, Echidna _?”_

_“That young man, Otto. I have assessed him with my Authority of Greed, and I believe you should offer him a place among your ranks. His skills in negotiations and bartering would be a good fit within your campaign. He would be a worthy opponent to even Anastasia Hoshen.”_

“I see. What do you believe we should do with him?”

_“It is my advice that you offer him the position of Internal Affairs Minister.”_

_“_ Ok, I'll talk it over with Emilia, but I see no reason not to do as you've advised. Thank you, Echidna.”

“ _It's my pleasure.”_

“Emilia!” The girl turned to look at him.

“Come over here! I want to ask you about something!” Subaru waved her over.

As Emilia came jogging over to them, Subaru discreetly filled her in on what Echidna had said.

"Well, her plan to conquer the whale worked like a charm, so I don't see why not," Emilia replied.

_Wow, her opinion of Echidna has shifted a bit,_ Subaru thought to himself.

“Otto,” he looked at the grey-haired young man, “how would you like a job?”

***********************************************************************************

In the halls of Lugunica palace, a great clamor had arisen. The Dragon Stone had once again changed, adding to the prophecy written upon it. As the various ministers and nobles yelled in shock and surprise, they gazed at the new passage that had appeared on the stone.

It read simply:

"Candidates Emilia and Natsuki Subaru have subjugated the Great Mabeast, the White Whale."

400 years of terror had been brought to an end.

Note from the author: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was a ton of fun to write! I wanted to drop a line because starting tomorrow I'll be spending about a month away from any internet access or access to electronics, so I'll be unable to update for a while. PLEASE do not think that I am abandoning this story, as I have had tons of fun writing it. I intend to pick it right back up once I return home. Until next time, thank you all for reading and commenting! I love hearing your thoughts on the story!

-bigdanrog


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